The seventh edition of IFCO Istanbul Fashion Connection on 5-8 February 2025 saw the IFCO Kids area double in size, with the trade show presenting a wide range of children’s fashion manufacturers.
Playing host to 514 exhibitors across eight halls of the Istanbul Expo Centre, the show welcomed 33,788 trade visitors from 151 countries including Algeria, Canada, France, Germany, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, the UK, USA and the United Arab Emirates.
The largest group of international visitors came from the Middle East (32.5%), Asia (25.1%), Europe (23.1%) and North Africa (14.6%). A total of 4.7% of visitors came from the USA, South America, Australia and Africa.
Commenting on the show is Mustafa Pasahan, vice president of the Istanbul Apparel Exporters’ Association (IHKIB).
“Turkey is a leading player in the global fashion industry, the sixth largest apparel supplier in the world and the third largest in the EU, with an export share of 3.5%. With growing expertise in design and branding, we are striving to transform from a manufacturing hub to a nation of internationally recognised fashion brands.
“Thanks to decades of experience, cutting-edge technology and innovative design capacity, we are ready for this change. Our brands have over 3,000 shops and points of sale in over 100 countries. Our goal is to establish Istanbul as a global fashion hub. IFCO plays a key role in this and has made remarkable progress despite its young history, becoming the largest fashion fair in Europe.”
Divided into clear product areas on a total of 35,000 sq. m of exhibition space, brands and manufacturers presented the latest collections in kidswear, womenswear, menswear, denim, sportswear, wedding and eveningwear, lingerie, hosiery, leather garments, shoes and accessories.
Notably, the show’s kids’ area doubled in size this season.
IFCO Kids presented itself with 40 children’s fashion manufacturers in Hall 8. Mukkader Özden, founder of Ozmoz, a brand specialising in ecologically produced baby clothing, confirms IFCO was a successful event.
“IFCO is a very dynamic trade fair. We mainly had buyers from the Middle East, Russia and the Turkish Republics with us. By participating in B2B meetings, we were also able to make valuable contacts with buyers from countries such as the USA and Spain. The organization of the trade fair was a complete success. The buyers who attended showed great interest in our products and greatly appreciated their quality.”
With a 42.1% share of international visitors, IFCO recorded an increase of 5.3% compared to the February event last year. The show attracted high-calibre international buyers including John Lewis (UK), J.P Boden&Co. Limited (UK), Liverpool Retail India Limited, Monsoon Brand Ltd. (UK), Nicoli Network Sl. (Spain), Aeon Co.(M ) BHD. (Malezia), Arıat (USA), LE ALFRE (USA), About You (Germany), Aritzia (Canada), Groupe Vanessa Bruno (France).
Meanwhile, the seminar program at IFCO covered current topics such as Spring/Summer Trends 26 from WGSN and the influence of social media, online sales and AI on fashion marketing from the IUAD Naples Fashion Academy. The panel discussion on the show’s fourth day focused on digitalisation in the fashion industry, with innovations, trends and applications in 2D, 3D and AI software.
The eighth edition of IFCO Istanbul Fashion Connection will take place on 20-22 August 2025. For further information, please click here.
