The Leather and Fur Sector to Meet in Antalya with Over 1300 Buyers
The Antalya Leather & Fur Fashion Fair, where a significant portion of the leather sector’s exports take place, will open its doors for the 12th time from May 16th to 19th with participation from over 20 countries and more than 1300 buyers.
Cengiz Sarıgül, Chairman of the Board of the TDKD, stated that they expect intensive participation from European Union countries this year.
Organized by the TDKD, the Leather & Fur Fair brings together representatives of Turkish companies in the sector with representatives of the international market. The fair, where a significant portion of the sector’s exports take place, is preparing to open its doors for the 12th time with participants from over 20 countries and more than 1300 buyers. While the leather and leather product exports of Turkey decreased by 24.5% to 263.5 million dollars in the January-February period of 2024 compared to the same period last year, the leather and fur clothing group accounted for 7% of leather and leather products exports, reaching 17.3 million dollars with a 28% decrease in the January-February period of 2024 compared to the same months of the previous year. Cengiz Sarıgül, Chairman of the Board of TDKD, stated that there were declines in exports in the first two months of 2024 and highlighted Korea, America, and Brazil as target markets. Sharing the information that despite the embargoes imposed in Russia, the main market of the sector, the demand for participation in the fair is very high, Sarıgül said; “We are experiencing serious declines in our exports with Russia due to the effect of the war. There are many difficulties in the arrival of official money due to the embargo. This has caused our exports to decrease. This year, we will bring pinpoint buyers with the innovations we will make at the fair. However, we welcome the demands from Europe and accept everyone who is a buyer.”
“We Increased Product Diversity, Now We Produce Leather to be Worn in Every Season””
Sarıgül pointed out that access to finance is one of the main problems facing the sector: “Interest rates have skyrocketed. It is not possible to amortize the credits to be used with the current interest rates and to bring the company into surplus. We exported 83 tons in January 2023, but in the same month of 2024, we decreased by 37.7% to 52 tons. However, due to the cost increases, export unit prices exceeded 130 dollars, an increase of 12.5% compared to the same month last year. The slowdown in exports has put the sector in a difficult situation. We expect exports to increase again with the orders that will come with the fair. Especially for those working in what we call the Former Soviet countries, there is currently a stagnant period. The Ukrainian market was particularly important for our sector. It was our gateway to Europe. We increased product diversity. Now we produce skins to be worn in every season. Our products are worn by Europeans, Turkish, Russians, and even customers from Arab countries.
“The Largest Brands’ Leathers are Produced in Turkey”
Cengiz Sarıgül emphasized that they lead the world in leather fashion: “Now we can produce everything from leather; we have no competitors in leather. Countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are price-focused, but we make fashion. Today, we are a country that produces very good bags and shoes. The leathers of the biggest brands are produced in Turkey. We will accelerate efforts to compensate for the decline in exports by increasing market diversity.”
