Harvard Center for Textile & Apparel Research

B.Tan Overview of the Turkish Textile and Apparel Industry 32
5.4. .4. Apparel Production
The apparel industry produces more knitted products than the woven ones and more
basic items such as unstructured tops and bottoms than tailored garments. A closer look at
the apparel exports shows that the apparel exports has a product mix of around 60%
knitted and 40% woven products (Table 36). The main export items are t-shirt, sweatshirt,
underwear, sleeping wear, socks, men shirts, and pants. However, due to decreasing
competitiveness in basic items, there has been a trend towards increased production of
structured garment production, i.e., jackets, suits, coats, etc. in the industry. The recent
investments in weaving and in processing (dyeing, printing, finishing) of woven fabrics also
support this trend. Table 36. Product Mix of Turkish Apparel Exports
1996 1997 1998 1999
Knitted T-Shirt 13.0% 14.4% 16.8% 17.9%
Pullover 18.0% 16.2% 16.7% 15.9%
Pants, jackets 9.4% 9.4% 9.2% 8.5%
Underwear 8.6% 10.1% 8.2% 7.0%
Shirts 5.7% 5.3% 5.2% 4.0%
Socks 3.9% 3.9% 3.7% 3.9%
Others 3.4% 3.4% 3.0% 2.9%
Outwear 0.3% 0.4% 0.3% 0.3%
Total 62% 63% 63% 63% 63% 63% 60%
60%
Woven Pants, jackets 18.8% 19.2% 20.9% 23.5%
Shirts 8.3% 8.0% 7.1% 5.9%
Underwear 3.4% 3.6% 3.8% 4.2%
Others 3.5% 2.9% 2.5% 3.7%
Outwear 3.5% 3.2% 2.6% 2.3%
Total
Source: Undersecreteriat of Foreign Trade reports (1999)
38% 37% 37% 37% 37% 40% 40%
In recent years, a number of foreign manufacturers have formed license agreements.
Currently, more than 10 foreign brands of denim jeans, including Levi’s, Lee, Jordache,
Lois, and Fronti, are produced in Turkey and exported to foreign markets.
In addition to apparel, Turkey is also a major producer of home textiles. However,
the statistics on home textiles are not widely available. It is estimated that approximately
6.5 million duvets, 1.5 million sheets, 2.5 million tablecloths and 1.5 million blankets are
produced annually (IBS, 2000).