Turkey’s Istanbul Fashion Connection Prevails With Asian, Middle Eastern Buyers

ISTANBUL — Almost 40 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Istanbul’s Egyptian Bazaar and The Grand Bazaar — which attracts 250,000 to 400,000 visitors daily — there was another equally eager crowd made up of government ministers, journalists, buyers and students waiting to poke their noses through rails of new discoveries from Turkey’s fashion talent.

The Istanbul Fashion Connection, otherwise known as IFCO, is a biannual fashion fair that’s been taking place since 2022 highlighting artisans, brands and designers across the country.

The sixth edition of the fair took place between Aug. 7 and 9 with 18,000 visitors from 121 countries and a boom from international visitors, with an increase of 13.9 percent when compared to last August’s event.

The fair showcased womenswear, menswear, kidswear, denim, leather, sportswear and lingerie across four halls.

Interest in the fair has been increasing as buyers from the Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern markets each represent 31.1 percent of sales, respectively followed by Europe at 16.4 percent; North Africa at 13.4 percent, and North America, South America and Africa each coming together at 3.1 percent, respectively.

“In the two years of the fair so far, the profile of the buyers has changed as they’re now seeking larger and better quality manufacturing and design,” said Mustafa Pasahan, vice president of the Istanbul Apparel Exporters’ Association, otherwise known as IHKIB.

The fair also pushed for emphasizing Turkey’s up-and-coming and established designers. In the center of one of the halls, a marked-off space gave a handful of labels their own square to display their creations.

Two of Turkey’s biggest designers, Arzu Kaprol and Tuba Ergin, had neighboring stalls.

Kaprol, who has previously been part of the Paris Fashion Week schedule and had a Paris-based office, has returned to her home country to reorganize her business as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She now has a small production with a team of 10 people working with local producers and manufacturers.

“The luxury map is changing. There is a lot of effort coming from the Middle East and a lot of the designers here are mainly working with Middle Eastern and Russian-speaking clienteles,” said Kaprol.

In comparison, Ergi is now in expansion mode. She’s been in the business for 23 years and has built a strong and tight business that deals mainly with Spain, Italy and Eastern European countries. 

She calls IFCO a great meeting point for her to connect with international buyers. She’s been part of the showcase since its inception and has seen good results from it.

“I’ve had contact with over 20 buyers at the fair so far this year, so I think that’s a good start,” she said.

For the young designers at the fair, it was about joining their efforts together and coming up with a sustainable idea that opens them to new audiences.

Designers Essin Baris, Seydullah Yılmaz and Ezgi Karayel joined together to create Couveuse Studio, a store in Istanbul that also acts as a showroom and design studios for the designers.

The space has been drenched in the color red and showcases each of the designer’s creations, which range from Baris’ poised tailoring to Yılmaz’s handknit techniques on sweaters that could easily be mistaken for 3D and Karayel’s deconstructed garments.

Couveuse Studio shows a charming and hidden side to Istanbul, one that gets lost in the noise of the spice markets, gold shops and luxury counterfeit stalls.