The textiles and clothing industry makes up 10% of the Turkish GDP. Clothing especially is employing almost 750.000 people in Turkey. Turkey also has a great fashion style and Turkish people are always updated with new trends and fashion. A walk through Istiklal street or Kemeraltı will make you see more brands than anywhere in the world. Lİke the famous clothes designer Edith Head says, “You can have anything in life if you dress for it”. This is like a motto for the Turks.
Turkey becomes very versatile when it comes to choosing materials too. Lots of raw material is made in Turkey. Turkey has large cotton fields, very big leather production, and massive wool production.
Here are some quick facts about Turkey’s textile industry:
- Turkey is number 9 in the world in terms of cotton products export making 281 mln $ annually from this trade. İn comparison, the top 3 exporters of cotton products are the USA (5,9 bln $), Brazil (3,2 bln $), India (1,5 bln $)
- If we speak about cotton production – Turkey is number 7 in the world (631 thousand tons), the top 3 being China (6,4 mln tons), India (6,3 mln tons), and USA (3,2 mln tons)
- This year Turkey plans to enlarge cotton production and reach 1 mln tons (HERE is a news article about it in Turkish)
- There are more than 20 thousand textiles manufacturers and 52 thousand clothing manufacturers all over the country.
- 85% of all Turkish textiles are produced in 6 provinces: Şanlıurfa, Aydın, Diyarbakır, Hatay, Adana and İzmir
I picked some of the most popular Turkish clothing brands for you. You can always contact me to learn more, book tours around Turkey, and ask your questions. See you soon, Hasan Gülday.
List of 6 Popular Turkish Clothing Brands
Ipekyol: For the Modern Working Woman
Ipekyol’s roots go back to 1989. There are about 150 stores of Ipekyol around Turkey. Ipekyol is the most popular brand of my wife’s.
DeFacto: A brand for the Whole Family
DeFacto has about 400 stores around Turkey and more than 150 stores around the globe. DeFacto has medium-quality products at affordable prices. It is the favorite brand of the working class in Turkey.
LC Waikiki: A Turkish brand with global recognition
LC Waikiki started its life in France in 1988. It was 1997 when the brand was sold to Turkish owners. LC Waikiki wants to be a leader in the clothing industry in 2023. Today LC Waikiki has more than a thousand stores in 35 countries.
Mavi Jeans: Levi’s of Turkey
Mavi has its roots in Turkey going back to the 80s. Today Mavi Jeans has stores mostly in western countries. Lately, Mavi became the favorite jeans brand of Kate Winslet and Chelsea Clinton.
Desa: Anything related to leather
Desa started as a humble leather woman handbag producer in Turkey. Today Desa has stores in more than 10 countries selling leather jackets, leather coats, fur coats, suede jackets, and leather skirts.
Kotton: Turkey’s leading fashion supplier
Kotton is my brand of choice in Turkey. It offers good quality clothing for men, women, and children. The brand dates back to 1988 and today Kotton can be found in 30 countries around the world.
For more see;
- Turkish Leather
- Turkish Carpets
- Turkish Pashmina
