Countdown starts for Istanbul Fashion Week

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

This year’s Fashion Week will take place between Feb. 8 and 11. The aim is to increase apparel export and contribute its image in fashion scene.

The sixth edition of Istanbul Fashion Week will be held between Feb. 8 and 11 in Tepebaşı. The event has been organized in collaboration with the Istanbul Apparel Exporters Association (IHKİB), Fashion Designers Association (MTD) and United Brands Association (BMD) and Istanbul Fashion Academy (IMA). 

“Our purpose is to increase Turkey’s apparel export, which was $16.2 billion in 2011, to $52 billion in 2023. Our brands have made contracts with Turkish designers. We also export designers. Turkish fashion is being recognized by the world. This is very important for Turkish fashion brands to become popular in the world,” IHKİB President Hikmet Tanrıverdi told a press conference held at Feriye Restaurant Jan. 26

Istanbul Fashion Week (IWF) brings together the concept of design, fashion and brand under the same roof, and had an important mission in the growth of sector based on brand economy, Tanrıverdi said.

“Our purpose is to increase Turkey’s apparel export to $52 billion in 2023, which was $16.2 billion in 2011. Our brands have made contracts with Turkish designers. We also export designers. Turkish fashion is being recognized by the world. This is very important for Turkish fashion brands to become popular in the world,” he said, adding that IFW revived the fashion industry and the city’s economy. 
Tanrıverdi said the budget for this year’s event was 15 million Turkish Liras, and talked about its contributions to the apparel sector and the general economy. 

“We have so far spent 15 million liras for all Istanbul Fashion Weeks. A total of 162,200 people viewed the events and brands and designers have presented 109 fashion shows. 1,300 journalists from 30 countries followed the fashion shows. Articles on Istanbul and Turkish fashion worth millions of dollars have been published in international media. During the events, Turkish and foreign guests made $66 million contribution to the Turkish economy.”

BMD Chairman Yılmaz Yılmaz said the IWF was the most effective organization in Turkey’s transition to fashion and branded economy. 

IFW Committee Chairman Volkan Atik said thanks to IWF, Turkey had become a country designing fashion. “This year’s organization will be held in two huge tents that will be pitched on an area of 3,000 square meters in Tepebaşı.”

 “We plan to spread the organization all around the city [in addition to the fashion shows]. Brands like M.A.C., S. Pellegrino, Aqua Panna and Illy will also be a part of this year’s event,” he said. 
“Buyers from 18 countries will come to the event and press members from 11 countries will cover the event.” 

Fashion shows at IFW

Famous designers like Mehtap Elaidi, Nejla Güvenç, Atıl Kutoğlu, Erol Albayrak, Tuvana Büyükçınar, Günseli Türkay, Zeynep Erdoğan, Gamze Saraçoğlu, Özlem Kaya, Simay Bülbül will present their creations at this year’s IFW. 

Besides solo fashion shows, there will also be two joint fashion shows. Beste Gürel, Nihan Peker, Tuba Benian will present their creations in the first joint show and Şafak Tokur, Çiğdem Akın, Ipek Arnas will take place in the second. 

Within the scope of the event, the new project of Turkish fashion designer Arzu Kaprol, Studio Kaprol, will be on the runway with its four designers. 

IWF will also present 2013 Spring/Summer collections. There will be AdL&Cengiz Abazoğlu, Avva, Berinza and Giovane Gentile shows along with a workshop titled “Machka: Brand where Turkish Industry and Design Meet.” Ece & Ayşe Ege and Yalçın Ayaydın will make speeches at the workshop.