Turkish garment makers set eye on US market

ISTANBUL

Already one of the most prominent textile and clothing producers, Turkey is now raising its sight for a higher rise in exports, setting their eye on the U.S. market.

Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, Hadi Karasu, the head of Turkish Clothing Manufacturers’ Association (TGSD), said that clients from the United States have again started to show interest in Turkey’s clothing industry.

“Some of our members have 20 years of experience with the U.S. We see that American brands’ expectations of Turkey, which have a totally different way of working than Europe, has increased in the last 20 years,” Karasu said.

“We need to recall our past know-hows, to return to domestic production and actualize a change that can fulfill the increasing demands in order to raise our share in the U.S. market,” Karasu stated, adding that the U.S. is the world’s largest clothing importer with a turnover of $103 billion.

Despite the economic troubles many industries went through in 2019, the “ready-to-wear” industry resumed production with all capacity, according to the association head.

“Additionally, it has also provided support on economic sustainability during a time our country needed it the most, with its near $18 billion export [volume],” he said.

50,000 employment in one year

Karasu also conveyed that the clothing industry has generated an employment of nearly 50,000 people in just one year.

According to the figures Karasu provided, the sector had an employment of 510,000 people in September 2018, and this figure had increased to over 560,000 people in September 2019.

“The data show that we have provided employment for 50,000 people and in other terms, that we increased our employment by 9.7 percent,” he said.

The ready-made clothing companies have acquired some 297 incentive certifications from the industry and technology ministry, amounting to 1.5 billion Turkish Liras of investment, Karasu conveyed.

The majority of production is taking place in Turkey’s northwestern Marmara region, especially Istanbul, the association head said. He added that there are discussions about modernizing the manufacturing facilities with new technologies, and excess machinery will be transferred to Turkey’s eastern and southeastern regions.