Fashion Showcase, Style Shifts, and Trade Laws: Key Points from the Istanbul Fashion Link
The eighth edition of Istanbul Fashion Connection (IFCO) took place from 20th to 22nd August 2025, attracting a diverse array of fashion enthusiasts, industry professionals, and global buyers. The four-day event, held in the bustling city of Istanbul, Turkey, showcased the country's thriving fashion industry and its commitment to nurturing emerging talent.
The event hosted nearly 3,000 exhibitors and welcomed 195,000 professional visitors from 165 countries, making it a truly international gathering. The spacious halls were divided into specific categories, with Hall 2 dedicated to womenswear, Hall 4 to denim, sportswear, leather, and womenswear as well, and Hall 8 to menswear, children's wear, accessories, and homewear.
A notable highlight was the Core area, a permanent space designed to showcase Turkish design talent. This year, the area featured 24 participating designers and half the number of Turkish retail brands in Hall 7. Designers like Arzu Kaprol, Meltem Özbek, Mehmet Emiroğlu, Tugba Ergin, Belma Özdemir, Emre Erdemoğlu, Gökhan Yavaş, and Mert Erkan displayed their latest collections, offering a glimpse into the innovative and creative spirit of Turkish fashion.
The KOZA Young Fashion Designers Competition, organised by İHKİB since 1992, continues to be a platform for discovering and supporting emerging Turkish talent. This year, the winning design was by Sude Keskin, who drew inspiration from Oscar Wilde's novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray". Ahmet Can Hızlı won third place with a creation from his "Love Me As I Am" collection, which aimed to redefine rigid molds in classic menswear. Finalist Lamia Duran's collection was inspired by her grandmother's porcelain pieces, aiming to create refined and striking patterns.
The IMA Trend Area was expanded in IFCO, with four themes - Intumotion, Ether Look, Fantasmic, and Subcore - spread across Hall 8. The concept, Be:coming, demonstrated the trail of becoming and transformation while shedding light on the future of fashion. Notable fashion shows presented brands like Parkhande, Otto Design, Rodnik Fashion, Mimya, De White's, and others.
Damat, a luxury menswear brand, had a prominent location in Hall 8. The brand captured visitors' attention with two mannequins that ran all three days of the show, demonstrating that Damat's suits are chic, comfortable, and practical.
The B2B area in Hall 8 facilitated over 400 meetings between Turkish manufacturers and global buyers. Official figures show that the eighth edition brought more than 18,800 visitors from 114 countries to the fair.
In addition to the fashion shows and exhibitions, a seminar programme accompanied the fair, featuring experts on market trends, e-commerce developments, and artificial intelligence. The Turkish apparel industry, Turkey's third largest export sector, saw a decrease in export volume by 6.9 percent to 17.9 billion US dollars in 2024. However, growth markets for Turkish apparel exports include Poland, Iraq, and Kazakhstan, with increases of 13.7, 3.8, and 19.9 percent, respectively, in the first seven months of 2025.
The event also highlighted the rising export strength of children's wear in Turkey. The Turkish company Fonem, which produces knit accessories from sustainable materials like hemp and wool, was one of the exhibitors.
In conclusion, IFCO 2025 was a resounding success, showcasing the vibrant and innovative Turkish fashion industry and its commitment to nurturing emerging talent. The event served as a platform for global buyers and fashion enthusiasts to connect, learn, and be inspired by the best of Turkish fashion.
