COTTON USA Embrace Nature, Choose Cotton
PREVIOUS TOUR REPORTS
Buyers experience the delights of Turkey’s textile industry
Buyers from around the world gathered in Turkey this April for another successful COTTON USA Buyers Tour. This is the fifth tour to Turkey in the last six years, highlighting the resilience against the tough economic conditions and a real desire for buyers to source high quality cotton.
The weeklong event, held in Istanbul, was specifically designed to help denim and knit top buyers, and represented brands and retailers from the UK (such as Marks and Spencer), Italy, Germany, U.S. and Japan, as well as the Turkish Buying Offices for international retailers. The COTTON USA Supply Chain Marketing Buyers Tour enabled buyers to conveniently explore the advantages of sourcing U.S. cotton-rich garments from the strong textile economy of Turkey.
CCI started the week with almost two full days of visits to sixteen suppliers’ showrooms around the Istanbul area. The group also received a presentation on the Turkish textile industry hosted by the Turkish Textile and Garment Exporters’ Association (ITKIB), which was followed by a full day at a private trade show with 22 of COTTON USA’s leading knit and denim fabric or garment suppliers. The tour ended with two days of factory visits in Bursa Kahramanmaras and Instanbul, where the buyers viewed U.S. cotton in spinners’ warehouses and inspected each company’s manufacturing facilities which produce U.S. cotton-rich denims, knitwear, sportswear and garments.
American cotton is sourced by Turkish mills and manufacturers for its consistent quality and lack of contamination. Brands and retailers seek garments that are manufactured in Turkey by COTTON USA licensees for their high quality fabric and workmanship.
The COTTON USA Buyers Tour attracted a great deal of press, with features in four of Turkey’s leading daily newspapers in addition to trade media.
If you would like further information on COTTON USA Buyers Tours or would like to attend future tours, please contact Steph Thiers-Ratcliffe at sthiers@cotton.org.