Commercial hub Istanbul to host ‘halal’ conventions

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Tessettür Fair, an international veiled clothes event will start in Istanbul on Sept 13.

Istanbul is preparing to host two large “halal” conventions in a row, as well as a series of smaller ones, as the Islamic world’s interest in Turkey expands beyond trade and tourism.

Halal is commonly considered to be a food code, but the Tesettür Fair, an international modest clothing event kicks off Sept. 13, with the Iran Halal Research Council as a media sponsor. 

Turkey’s innovative modest clothing sector shines with an increasing potential to export goods to the Middle East and Muslim-majority countries, organizers said in a written statement. The event will match buyers and sellers from a dozen countries from the region. 

The unrest in the Middle East has affected the market negatively, but Turkey’s position is still good, a fair organizer said in a phone interview yesterday. “Syria’s was also good, but no goods come out of there now because of the turmoil. Turkey is replacing it.” 

Shukr Clothing, one of the global trendsetters in Islamic dress, is among the guests attending the fair, as well as Iranian designer Soheil Abbasi. 

The Iranian state will have a separate pavilion at the event, in a bid to promote the country. 
“Considering that there are around 1.5 billion Muslims in the world, one can see the volume of the market,” said organizer Demos Fuarcılık’s general manager, Hüseyin Aslan. 

“If you think that only 250 million of these people dress according to an Islamic code, you can calculate that the Islamic-clothing market is about 10 times larger than the Turkish textile market.” 

Turkey’s geographical position and the recent lifting of visa requirements for other Middle Eastern countries helps the fair grow rapidly every year, Aslan also said. 

Large support for halal fair

Another large upcoming event is the “Halal and Healthy Products Fair,” a four-day event which starts on Oct. 11. A separate international fair and a business forum by the Independent Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (MÜSİAD) will be held simultaneously with the fair, which, according to organizers, will create a unique synergy. 

The size of the Islamic-products market is 15 times larger than Turkey’s overall exports, the organizers said in a written note. 

Some 150 companies are expected to participate in the event, with buyers expected from 24 countries. 

Turkey’s Small and Medium Industry Development Organization (KOSGEB) is providing 50 percent grants for the fees of small and medium sized companies participating in the event. 

Gimdes, Turkey’s halal-licensing authority, and the World Halal Council (WHC) support the fair, along with KOSGEB. Gimdes also holds an international conference on Sept. 1, gathering representatives from a wide range of countries, including from the U.S., Russia and South Africa. 

Halal products to be promoted at the fair include food and drinks, cosmetics, cleaning materials, textiles and fashion products, pilgrimage equipment, and medical products.

The buyers hosted at the fair are from Iraq, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Syria, India, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, Finland, Canada, Philippines, Brazil, Belgium, England and France.

The Islamic Cultures Expo in Istanbul, a rather smallevent compared with the two fairs above, kicks off tomorrow. A group of Muslims from China have arrived in Turkey at the start of the week to attend the event, Anatolia news agency reported.