Consumers are now putting away their ‘navy’ clothes instead of ‘pulling them on’. The clothing habits of the younger generation in particular are also creating a new trend. The fact that many institutions have lifted the suit requirement is effective in this trend. The business world prefers the comfortable and formal style called ‘smart casual’ instead of suits. In daily life, sportswear is at the forefront.

 

Retail sector representatives also state that sportswear produced with nanotechnology and technical fabrics is drawing attention in daily life. With this situation, international brands aim to expand their existing stores. With these projects, brands also plan to add new product groups to their existing product capacities.

 

Making statements to DÜNYA regarding the subject, Istanbul Ready-to-Wear and Garment Exporters’ Association (İHKİB) Vice President Mustafa Gültepe said that sportswear has the potential to grow today. Gültepe, who announced that ready-to-wear has an export target of 18 billion dollars for this year, conveyed that they aim to provide 4.5 billion dollars from sportswear. Stating that sportswear, where nanotechnology and technical fabrics are used extensively, has come to the forefront, Gültepe noted that internationally proven brands in this field have demands in terms of expanding their areas in their stores. Gültepe stated that among these brands, they have received demands from brands such as Nike, Adidas and Inditex Group.

 

Gültepe stated that employees in the business world are giving up suits and prefer clothes that will make them more comfortable, and said, “There is a trend towards that. Employees in the business world prefer casual style clothes, especially during work, both to be comfortable and to keep their own performance high.”

 

‘Warm winter’ is challenging

Mustafa Gültepe says that retailers have been in a difficult situation due to the temperatures that have been above the weather conditions recently. Gültepe continues as follows: “Many retailers are trying to sell the remaining stocks they have by giving discounts. In fact, seasons do not change, shifts occur in months due to climate change. For example, while retailers used to prepare for the winter season in January-February, they are now doing it in March. While preparations were made for the summer season in April, it will now be done in May because it will be warmer. This is the situation we are experiencing this year. This is not a good image for brands.”

 

“Manufacturers are increasing their capacity”

Hadi Karasu, the President of the Turkish Clothing Manufacturers Association (TGSD), who stated that they define sportswear under 3 headings as denim, activewear and streetwear, stated that there has been a shift from suits to sportswear in recent times. Karasu, who noted that they have observed an increase in the capacities of sportswear manufacturers, explained that old knitting factories are developing their technologies and turning to sportswear. Karasu, who stated that sportswear is now seen in every area of ​​life, drew attention to the fact that new collections are included in the product ranges of manufacturers. Karasu, who provided information about the sector, said the following: “Sportswear manufacturing companies in Turkey constitute 10 percent of the total exporting companies. There are 1,500 companies manufacturing sportswear. While China dominates the market in the world sportswear sector export, Turkey ranks 5th with 3.2 billion dollars and has a share of approximately 5 percent of the market. Countries to which we export sportswear include Germany, England, Spain, France, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Iraq and Denmark. The fact that Generation Y will come to management from now on will also grow the sportswear market.”