Turkish Fashion Industry Heads to Germany
The Turkish fashion industry exported 1.7 billion dollars to Germany in 7 months. Aegean Apparel Exporters are organizing national participation in 6 fairs across 4 countries in 2025, defying the global recession. The Aegean Ready-to-Wear and Apparel Exporters’ Association aims to maintain current export figures by participating in 6 fairs in 4 different countries in 2025.
With the Turkey National Participation Organization of the Aegean Ready-to-Wear and Apparel Exporters’ Association, the Turkish fashion industry will pave the way for new export connections by attending the Munich Fabric Start Fair, to be held in Germany—its leading export market—on September 2–3, 2025, with 8 Turkish companies.
Sharing that the Turkish ready-to-wear and apparel industry achieved 9.7 billion dollars in exports between January and July 2025, Burak Sertbaş, Member of the Turkish Exporters Assembly Sector Council and Chairman of the Aegean Ready-to-Wear and Apparel Exporters’ Association, stated that Germany accounted for an 18% share of Turkish fashion industry exports with 1.7 billion dollars.
Hopes for Recovery in Apparel Exports Postponed to 2026
Expressing that expectations for apparel exports to recover and return to growth have been postponed to 2026, Sertbaş said:
“We cannot sit idly by in our factories and despair during this process. We have responsibilities to our sector and our country. We are going through a period in which we must engage in more aggressive marketing. With this awareness, in 2025 we are organizing national participation in 6 fashion fairs in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Our costs have been rising above exchange rate increases for the past three years. The stagnation in Europe has lasted much longer than expected, and regional wars are deepening uncertainty. During this period, the most effective way to find customers is through fairs. We regularly participate in the MFS The Source Fair. Our companies will showcase their Autumn-Winter 2026–2027 collections for two days in Hall 1, in the ‘The Source’ area. We aim to return home with new export connections.”
Tala Uğuz, Board Member of the Aegean Ready-to-Wear and Apparel Exporters’ Association and Chair of the Committee for Developing Foreign Market Strategies, emphasized that a total of 140 companies from the textile and apparel sectors will strive to boost Turkey’s exports at the Munich Fabric Start Fair.
We Are Germany’s Third Largest Supplier
Sharing that the Munich Fabric Start Fair is held twice a year, Uğuz said: “In January 2025, the fair hosted 1,245 companies from different countries and was visited by 4,000 international participants. Germany imported 47.3 billion dollars’ worth of ready-to-wear products in 2024. In 2022, when domestic demand was strong, Germany imported 53 billion dollars’ worth of apparel products. We will take our place in this market to preserve our 10% market share.
In 2024, Germany was the second-largest market for EHKİB exports after Spain, while in 2025, surpassing Spain with 160 million dollars’ worth of exports, it rose to the top. We are Germany’s third-largest apparel supplier after China and Bangladesh. With the national participation organization, we aim to preserve our country’s share in the German market. Our next overseas marketing activity will be the PV Manufacturing Paris Fair on September 16–18, 2025, with the participation of 19 companies.”
The Aegean Ready-to-Wear and Apparel Exporters’ Association will conclude 2025 with a total of 6 national participation organizations, including the Turkey National Participation Organization at the Fashion London SVP Fair in November. A total of 90 Turkish ready-to-wear exporting companies will take part in these 6 organizations.
