Iran to get its underwear from Turkey
DENİZLİ - Anatolia News Agency
AFP photo
Iran as well as Iraq and countries from the Caucuses have shown an avid interest in importing Turkish underwear and socks at this year’s IFEXPO 2012 ready-to-wear fair held in Istanbul.“This fair has showed us that our market is not limited to Europe. We go to Europe to showcase our products, but Iran, Iraq, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, the Ukraine and others come to us to choose from our collection,” said Denizli Textile and Clothing Industry Association Chairman Mustafa Çiftçi.
Iran, in particular, is an important underwear market for Turkish exporters from Denizli, an Aegean region famous for its textile production.
“Despite all the speculation about the souring of political ties between Iran and Turkey, we have not seen an impact on our trade,” said Çiftci, adding that they were building strong ties with Iranian firms and were committed to penetrating the market even further. Niche fairs are a valuable way of winning customers and marketing Turkish textile products, said Çifçi.
“I believe that niche fairs focusing on just underwear or sportswear, for example, will lead to a greater amount of exports,” he said, adding that the economic turmoil in Europe has led to an influx of new customers from different regions.
“Europe’s disadvantage has been our advantage,” said Çiftçi.
The IFEXPO Fair held in Istanbul between Jan. 17 and 19 witnessed over 15,000 visitors.
