IFCO-Istanbul Fashion Connection closed its fifth edition which took place on February 7-10 with a record 38,545 visitors from 159 countries, including Germany, the UK, Spain, South America, the USA, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates. Hosted on 100,000 square meters at the Istanbul Expo Center 545 exhibitors presented the latest collections across kidswear, womenswear, menswear, denim, sportswear, evening and weddingwear, lingerie, hosiery, leather, and furs shown in a total of 8 halls. The largest group of foreign visitors came from the Middle East (33.4%), Europe (24%), Asia (23.3%), and North Africa (13.3%). A total of 6% of visitors came from the USA, South America, Australia and Africa.
"We are delighted with the very successful fifth edition of IFCO and the unanimously extremely positive response from exhibitors and visitors. The trade fair is an indispensable hub for the fashion industry at an international level, bringing together supply and demand. Both the quality and quantity of the visitors were convincing, as were the creative designer presentations and the high-quality products of the exhibitors," commented Mustafa Paşahan, İHKİB vice president.
With over 38,500 visitors, the fifth edition of IFCO set a new attendance record and emphasized its relevance as an international hub for the fashion industry. Among the international VIP buyers were 6th Street Apparel from Dubai, Ackermans Woman from Cape Town, Aeon from Kuala Lumpur, the Alshaya Group from Kuwait, Fashion River and Fearless 310 from New York, Group Aksal from Casablanca, Lulu Dubai from Abu Dhabi, Next Group London, Quest from Bogota, Ted Baker from the USA.
For the first time, IFCO cooperated with the renowned Fashion Designers' Association (MTD), which played a key role in the organization of Istanbul Fashion Week. The trade fair theme "Colouring the Future" was developed by the association. Seven Universities of Fine Arts, including Mimar Sinan University, Maramara University, Bilgi University, and others presented their creative projects curated by MTD at IFCO. From the beginnings of collection production, material search, fabric samples, and design sketches to prints, the students showed their entire creative path to the finished collection.
Coloring the Future was also staged by the IFCO Trend Area, designed by the Ima Istanbul Moda Akademisi with the theme of Resilience. In addition to the presentation of innovative materials that combine technical components with elements of nature, the topic of AI was also presented. As part of the IFCO Fashion Talks, experts from Wgsn, Accademia della Moda Iuad, the Ihkib Digital Transformation Centre, and the Turkish Designer’s Association provided information on the latest developments and trends in the fashion industry, consumer behavior, the benefits of digital transformation in fashion, and trend forecasts for spring/summer 2025.
Next Editions IFCO Istanbul Fashion Connection
August 7-9, 2024
www.ifco.com
