Press release from 05.02.2010
North Rhine-Westphalia intensifies its cooperation with Turkey in the field of fashion and textiles
- Minister for Economic Affairs Christa Thoben visits the Istanbul Fashion Week 2010
- North Rhine-Westphalia: Germany’s leading fashion location
- Eva Gronbach, fashion designer from Cologne, presents her collection at the Istanbul Fashion Week
Istanbul, 5 February 2010 – As part of the location marketing campaign “We love the new…” Christa Thoben, Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, visits Turkey again. On the occasion of the Istanbul Fashion Week 2010, and in cooperation with the Turkish Textile and Clothing Association (ITKIB – İstanbul Tekstil ve Konfeksiyon İhracatçı Birlikleri), Minister Thoben has presented the metropolitan region and fashion location of North Rhine-Westphalia during a press conference.
Turkey and North Rhine-Westphalia are important economic partners –in terms of both trade and commercial cooperation. And this is especially the case when it comes to the fashion and textile industry. “One of North Rhine-Westphalia’s most important textile and clothing suppliers is Turkey. And we would like to further strengthen these relations,” explained Minister Thoben at the press conference in Istanbul. Foreign trade turnover between Turkey and North Rhine-Westphalia amounted to approximately 5.9 billion euros in 2008, a figure almost double that of ten years ago.
North Rhine-Westphalia is Germany’s leading fashion location and serves as a bridge to Europe for Turkish fashion manufacturers, for whom the region is of particular interest. 20 of Germany’s 50 top-selling textile retailers are based here. These include major department stores and fashion chains such as C&A, Ernsting’s family, Karstadt, Kaufhof, KiK, Peek & Cloppenburg and Takko. And the Rhine city of Düsseldorf ranks among the top locations in the world for fashion and lifestyle trade fairs.
Within a 10-kilometer radius of the trade fair grounds in Düsseldorf, about 1,300 showrooms have established themselves. 21,000 trade visitors from 40 different countries use the twice-yearly CPD, the International Trade Fair for Womenswear & Accessories, to obtain information and place orders.
Turkey and North Rhine-Westphalia share a passion for fashion. For many years now, a very lively fashion axis has existed between the two countries. Turkish companies have very close relations with North Rhine-Westphalia’s fashion industry and are establishing themselves in the country with their own brands, shops and showrooms.
The internationally active fashion company Sarar founded its European headquarters in Düsseldorf in 2000. “All well-known industry brands are headquartered in the direct vicinity,” explains Emre Sarar, CEO of the clothing manufacturer Sarar Giyim Tekstil Sanayi Ve Ticaret. “The central location within Europe offers the optimum basic conditions for sales: an excellent infrastructure, qualified skilled workers and specialists, as well as cosmopolitan, creative people.” Sarar Europe employs 40 people in North Rhine-Westphalia and generated a turnover of 11.5 million euros in 2008.
Fashion designer Eva Gronbach is accompanying Minister Thoben for the presentation of North Rhine-Westphalia as a fashion location. “We are proud to have Eva Gronbach promoting our region,” stated Minister Thoben, “She represents North Rhine-Westphalia’s new, young avant-garde fashion scene.” Eva Gronbach founded her own label back in 2000. The designer mixes creativity and authenticity to create an exciting style. This involves, for instance, recycling miners’ overalls and combining them with finest materials such as silk and cashmere to give them a neoclassical look. “We are pleased that North Rhine-Westphalia will be represented at the Istanbul Fashion Week 2010 and very happy about the high level of interest that the trade has shown in our event,” states Lemi Tolunay, ITKIB.
An advert based on the theme of fashion was especially conceived for the “We love the new…” location marketing campaign. Its subject: Christian Fayek, whose modern knitted garments are amongst the most cutting-edge articles the fashion scene has to offer. Young designers such as this graduate of Düsseldorf’s Akademie Mode & Design (Academy for Fashion & Design) are impressive examples of the innovative strength of North Rhine-Westphalia’s textile and fashion industry. The advert and slogan “We love the new style”, which promote North Rhine-Westphalia’s cosmopolitan attitude and love of innovation, are currently being featured in well-known Turkish media. “The aim of this advert was to appeal to Turkish fashion manufacturers and encourage them to use North Rhine-Westphalia as a hub for European commerce,” explained Petra Wassmer CEO of the Economic Development Agency of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia, NRW.INVEST.
About NRW.INVEST Turkey
The representative office of NRW.INVEST in Istanbul provides Turkish companies with information on NRW as a business location, its environment and investment climate, legal and social conditions, as well as about cities and locations, trade fairs, and market opportunities in North-Rhine Westphalia.
It is the initial point of contact for Turkish companies intending to invest in NRW and provides companies interested in setting up a business with local advice, to smooth their path into North Rhine-Westphalia.
Contact:
NRW.INVEST Turkey
Economic Development Agency of the
German State of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW)
Dr. Adem Akkaya
Inönü Cad. 24/4 Gümüssuyu - Taksim
34437 Istanbul, Türkiye
Tel.: +90 (0) 212 249 18 48
Fax: +90 (0) 212 249 18 49
Email: info@nrwinvest-istanbul.com.tr
