Turkish wedding gowns garner attention with surge in export

ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s wedding gowns have gained significant popularity worldwide in recent years as exports to Europe, Asia and North America are on the rise.

Turkish wedding gown exports amounted to $3.7 million in 2023, up 35.7 percent year-on-year from 2022, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) data revealed.

Türkiye’s statistical bureau said wedding gown manufacturers in the country exported over 23,300 gowns last year, with more than 7,800 gowns sold to Germany.

In the same period, Saudi Arabia was the second-largest recipient of Turkish-made wedding gowns with a little over 2,000 units, followed by Iraq with 1,700, Austria with 1,400, and Sweden with a bit over 1,000 units.

As for 2024, Turkish wedding gown exports amounted to $1.4 million in January-May.

During that period, Türkiye exported over 11,800 gowns, some 2,900 of which were imported by Germany.

Iraq was the second-largest importer of Turkish wedding gowns with 1,450 units in the first five months of the year, followed by Denmark with 1,300, the U.S. with 1,340, and Austria with over 900 units.

Hüseyin Öztürk, the head of the Turkish Fashion and Apparel Federation, said that the wedding gown industry has a large domestic market and a strong export potential.

"Turkish wedding gown makers have made a name for themselves with their competitive designs and quality from Europe to America and to the Gulf and Central Asia," Öztürk said.

Turan Aksoy, the president of the Istanbul Wedding Dress Manufacturers and Exporters Association, also noted that Turkish wedding gown designers have really stepped up their success in custom-fitted and high-end “haute couture” gowns.

Aksoy noted that with the high-quality materials used in gowns, coupled with excellent dressmaking, the preference for Turkish-made wedding gowns has grown worldwide, especially in contrast to European competitors, as Turkish gowns offer more variety.