Speaking at a publicity meeting for the event on Friday, Çağlayan highlighted that opportunities such as İstanbul Fashion Week, which is being held for the second time after its debut in August, were neglected and overlooked in the past. He noted that İstanbul Fashion Week was a much-needed first step in fostering unity and cooperation in the textile, fashion and design sectors.
“Our forefathers have said, ‘There is grace in unity and suffering in dissent,’ and for this reason having alternative programs, failing to participate in this program and opposing this fashion week altogether will bring us nothing,” Çağlayan stressed, adding that “there is enough work in the market to go around. …There were firms in August that did not take part in this program, and I’ve noted all of them. I want to see these firms and more in February.”
İstanbul Ready-to-Wear and Apparel Exporters Association (İHKİB) President Hikmet Tanrıverdi also spoke at the event, revealing the textile sector’s goal of making İstanbul one of the top five cities in fashion by 2023, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the republic. He added that the fashion week would “cast a [spotlight] on and build the future of the fashion industry in Turkey.” Tanrıverdi also revealed that they were currently in talks with an international firm to organize an international fashion show to be held after August of next year.
