Türkiye spends $46 million on Italian sunglasses in first quarter

ISTANBUL

Türkiye paid $45.5 million to Italy for 880,471 pairs of sunglasses during the January–March period, as strong domestic demand and a preference for branded products continued to drive imports.

While domestic manufacturers in Türkiye have made progress mainly in the entry-level and mid-range segments of sunglasses, Strong domestic demand and consumer preference for international brands have driven imports.

According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), the country imported a total of 2.32 million pairs of sunglasses worth $85.5 million in the first three months of the year. Italy emerged as the largest supplier of sunglasses, followed by China, Thailand, Japan and France.

In the January–March period, Türkiye bought 880,471 pairs of sunglasses from Italy. Imports from China amounted to 1.04 million pairs, for which Türkiye spent $22.7 million.

Thailand ranked third with 119,703 pairs imported for $6.1 million. Japan followed with 23,091 pairs valued at $3.1 million, while imports from France totaled 6,647 pairs, costing approximately $3 million.

During the same period, Türkiye exported a total of 164,272 pairs of sunglasses, generating revenues of $2.4 million.