Home Textile - Turkey Contact Point

HOME TEXTILESPRODUCTIONThe Turkish home textile industry as a subsector of the Turkish textile industry, which isthe world’s fourth largest supplier and the EU’s second largest supplier, has now asignificant role in world trade and capacity to meet the high standards of all sophisticatedconsumers.Almost all kinds of home textiles are produced in Turkey and may be listed by export valueas follows: towels, bed sheets, bed spreads, curtains, blankets, pillows, quilts, cushions,eiderdowns, table linens, tulle, lace, goblen, flander, aubusson, wall hangings and sleepingbags.The Turkish home textile industry is one of the world leaders with its wide range ofproducts and superior quality in home textile production, especially in the production oftowels, bed sheets and covers, curtains, tulle, embroidery, guipure and quilt covers.Turkey has the largest machine park for the production of both embroidery and guipure inthe world. Europe’s largest factory producing quilt covers is in Turkey. The Turkish hometextile industry has also acquired the latest technology with a high production capacity, ahighly skilled labor pool, and design and fashion capabilities. In addition, the industry hasmanaged to reduce the cost of production below the world average while it has increasedthe quality of its products. Therefore, with a huge production capacity, high quality andstrong competitiveness, Turkey was among the world’s top three suppliers of towels, bedsheets, bedspreads and curtains in 2012. In the same way, Turkey was the second largestsupplier of EU in towels, bed sheets, table clothes, bedspreads and curtains in 2012.In Turkey, the towel sector has traditional roots and its towels are known as "TurkishTowels" worldwide. Today the Turkish towel sector has competitive power in internationalmarkets in terms of jacquard and embroidery technologies. Lace, which is commonly usedin many textile applications, especially in home textiles, is originally a Turkish handicraft. Itis an embroidery art reaching back to the mid 1500s and crowned by the labor of Turkishwomen. It is an outstanding handicraft with its traditional taste and motifs in different colorsand lines, which are now reflected in modern home decoration. Turkish home textileproducers are mainly located in Istanbul, Denizli, Bursa, Tekirdag, Izmir, Gaziantep,Kayseri and Usak. Towel and bathrobe producers are concentrated in Denizli and Bursa,voile producers in Istanbul and Bursa, and blanket producers in Usak. Many of theproducers in these cities have integrated their production process from yarn and fabricproduction to product design, dying, finishing and sewing in order to obtain the best qualityin every stage of production.Denizli is the manufacturing center of toweling sector city is mostly concentrated ontoweling sector. Over 190 companies in Denizli manufacture cotton towels and bathrobes.Such a manufacturing facility on one product group in the same area is a success storyand a good example of the cluster development. In Denizli, towels and bathrobes aremanufactured from Aegean cotton which is the finest cotton in the world. These towels andbathrobes are well known throughout the world with their extraordinary softness,absorbency and warmth. Their extraordinary pile thickness and density give towels andbathrobes these superior features. In addition, the more these towels and bathrobes arewashed, the softer and more absorbent they become, contrary to the ordinary products.That’s why Denizli on its own has a major share in world’s cotton towel and bathrobeexports. About 90% of these products are exported to all over the world. “Turkish Towels© Republic of Turkey – Ministry of Economy, 2014 1

and Bathrobes”, especially the ones from Denizli, are not used only at homes but alsopresented by 5 or 4 star hotels in all over the world as a quality service sign. Moreover,visitors of these hotels would consider a negative point in their services if “Turkish Towelsand Bathrobes” were not kept in bathrooms, sport centers, saunas and Turkish baths.Bursa is one of the most important manufacturing centers in the textile field in the worldand it is mostly concentrated on the manufacturing of curtains, curtaining and upholsteryfabrics, decoration fabrics, bedding products, towels and bathrobes as well as othertextiles. There are hundreds of companies which are active in manufacturing and tradingon all kinds of textiles in Bursa. Many of these companies have been organized very welland come together in “Bursa International Textile and Shopping Centre”, called Buttim inshort. In Buttim, there are about 850 textile companies, most of which are active in thesector of home textiles, curtaining and upholstery fabrics. In Buttim, there are about 320showrooms where every kind of home textiles and textile products are presented tothousands of national and international visitors. Buttim is such a huge center that it has adaily visitor capacity of 20 thousand. Therefore, visitors abroad looking for upper qualityand a wide range of home textiles, curtains, curtaining and furnishing fabrics etc. shouldnot go back home without visiting Buttim.Besides large-scale firms, there are many small and medium sized companies scatteredall around the country. In the rural areas around some cities like Denizli, Mugla andKastamonu, the production of traditional fabrics is still widespread, and recently they havebeen used in the production of home textiles. One of these traditional fabrics havingworldwide fame is the "Buldan Fabric”, from the Buldan province of Denizli. With itscharacteristic designs, it is unique and carries the heritage of the past into the present as itis woven on traditional hand looms. This fabric, which has a completely natural look andbasic textile characteristic due to its being made of pure cotton, is widely used both intraditional and modern home decoration. Another traditional fabric is "Selalmaz Çemberi"which takes its name from Selalmaz, a region in Kastamonu. This fabric is also obtainedfrom pure cotton yarn and woven on hand looms. It is a very thin fabric like tulle. It is adifficult fabric to weave that one can only weave one meter per day. Due to its outstandingoriginality it is used widely in-home decoration as well as in clothing. "Azdavay Çemberi" isanother famous fabric woven in Azdavay, a town of Kastamonu. It is made from linen orpure cotton and it is a very original hand woven fabric. This fabric like Selalmaz Çemberi,is woven loose or dense. It is used widely in home decoration and clothing production.Since all of these traditional fabrics are natural, made of pure cotton or linen without usingany chemical dyes, they are environmentally friendly. Therefore, there is considerabledemand for home textiles made of these fabrics in international markets.Today the Turkish home textile industry is aware of the trend in international marketstowards the increasing demand for healthier and more environmentally friendly productsand quickly adapts itself to developments in legal and technical regulations. Manymanufacturers in the sector are able to produce with quality and environment managementsystems, e.g. ISO 9000 series. Additionally, some companies in the home textile sectorhave private Eco labels.In a rapidly changing world, the home decoration field is very sensitive to all changes.That's why the creation of collections with innovative and modern designs and motifs inaddition to the quality of the product is essential. Turkish home textile manufacturers arevery conscious about fashion creation and design, which enables them to gain a specialplace in international markets. New and modern designs and unique motifs, all created byTurkish designers, keep a finger on the pulse of world home decoration fashion and meetmost tastes and preferences.© Republic of Turkey – Ministry of Economy, 2014 2

EXPORTSBesides meeting domestic demand in Turkey, the Turkish home textile sector with its highpotential in the export market and its wide range of products and superior quality is animportant export earner for the country. The sector exports about 60% of its production.According to the International Trade Center’s (ITC) statistics, Turkey was the fourth largestexporting country in home textiles with a value of US$ 2,7 billion in 2012. Exports of hometextile products increased 13% from US$ 2,7 billion in 2012 to US$ 3,1 billion in 2013.With its fashion products, the advanced technology of production and quality of products,Turkey has been increasing her share in the main markets, especially in the Europeanmarket. Therefore, prominent world suppliers have started to cooperate with Turkishmanufacturers for joint production in the home textile field.Turkey’s Home Textile Exports (US$ 1,000)Product Name 2011 2012 2013Towels, Bathrobes and DressingGowns(Including toilet and kitchen linens)Change(%)2013/12Share(%)2013824.675 812.573 941.173 15,8% 30,3%Bed Linens 582.182 497.145 630.388 26,8% 20,3%Furnishing and Curtain Fabrics 520.883 516.024 557.782 8,1% 17,9%Other Home Textile Products 375.969 327.975 352.157 7,4% 11,3%Curtains, Drapes and Interior Blinds 171.918 157.842 194.019 22,9% 6,2%Bed Spreads andOther Furnishing Articles274.954 182.143 165.609 -9,1% 5,3%Tulles and Crocheted Fabrics 72.800 88.083 93.905 6,6% 3,0%Blankets 53.719 74.785 75.830 1,4% 2,4%Sleeping Bags, Pillows, Quilts 51.385 49.506 57.357 15,9% 1,8%Table Linens 42.038 38.281 40.043 4,6% 1,3%Hand-Woven Tapestries 292 123 32 -74,2% 0,0%Source: Ministry of EconomyTotal 2.970.817 2.744.480 3.108.294 13,3% 100,0%The main export products in 2013 were towels, bathrobes, dressing gowns, bed linens,furnishing and curtain fabrics, and bed spreads. The European countries are the mostimportant markets for Turkey's home textile exports. A large quantity of home textiles isexported to Germany. The other main markets are Russia, USA, France, the U.K., ItalyUkraine, and the Netherlands.© Republic of Turkey – Ministry of Economy, 2014 3

Major Export Markets in Home Textiles (US$ 1,000)Countries 2011 2012 2013Change(%)2013/13Share(%)2013Germany 694.559 515.836 590.877 14,5% 19,0%Russia 301.218 348.737 362.633 4,0% 11,7%USA 220.886 223.151 234.099 4,9% 7,5%France 197.444 146.541 186.020 26,9% 6,0%UK 140.015 149.043 163.554 9,7% 5,3%Italy 126.644 102.961 125.974 22,4% 4,1%Ukraine 63.506 76.989 118.286 53,6% 3,8%Netherland 117.977 92.118 106.560 15,7% 3,4%Poland 79.182 66.125 69.808 5,6% 2,2%Iran 147.473 71.455 61.749 -13,6% 2,0%Iraq 38.256 55.271 56.376 2,0% 1,8%Belgium 56.830 47.758 49.267 3,2% 1,6%Libya 9.595 38.106 47.456 24,5% 1,5%Spain 50.916 43.483 44.898 3,3% 1,4%S. Arabia 26.503 35.382 42.520 20,2% 1,4%Austria 48.794 35.043 41.783 19,2% 1,3%Algeria 20.908 28.585 39.908 39,6% 1,3%Israel 29.984 30.973 38.649 24,8% 1,2%Romania 32.643 35.824 37.657 5,1% 1,2%Estonia 17.287 28.087 35.587 26,7% 1,1%Other 550.197 573.011 654.635 14,2% 21,1%TOTAL 2.970.817 2.744.480 3.108.294 13,3% 100,0%Source: Ministry of EconomyTRADE FAIRS OF 2014All of the trade fairs held in Turkey related to the home textiles industry are listed at thewww.fuarrehberi.org.tr website which is an official website of the Union and Chambers ofCommodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB). Some of the trade fairs related to the hometextiles industry are listed below.• Evteks 20th Istanbul Home Textiles Exhibition, Istanbul, 21.05.2014 -25.05.2014 (Curtains & Tulles, Bed linen & Blanket, Furniture & Upholstery, Kitchentextiles, Bathroom products, Carpet, Wall Covering, Solar-protective materials,Design, Technology, Services, Contract, Raw materials & textile inputs, TradePublications)© Republic of Turkey – Ministry of Economy, 2014 4

• MEÇEF - Mersin Furniture, Home Textile and Consumer Goods Fair 2014,Mersin, 24.05.2014 - 31.05.2014 Carpet, Furniture, Home Textile, ConsumerGoods, Accessories, Kitchen Equipments• HOMETEX 2014, Istanbul, 12.11.2014 - 15.11.2014 Home Textile And DecorativeProductsUSEFUL LINKS• Turkish Home Textile Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Associationwww.tetsiad.org• Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporters’ Associationswww.itkib.org.tr• Aegean Exporters’ Associationswww.egebirlik.org.tr• Uludağ Exporters’ Associationwww.uib.org.tr• Denizli Exporters’ Associationwww.denib.gov.tr• Mediterranean Exporter Associationswww.akib.org.tr• Southeast Anatolia Exporters’ Associationswww.gaib.org.tr• Turkish Textile Employers’ Associationwww.tekstilisveren.org• United Brands Association of Turkeywww.birlesmismarkalar.org.tr• The Association of the Registered Trademarkswww.tescillimarkalar.org.tr• Osmanbey Textile Manufacturers Associationwww.otiad.org.tr• Laleli Industrialists and Businessmen Associationwww.lasiad.org.tr• Merter Industrialists and Businessmen Associationwww.mesiad.org.tr© Republic of Turkey – Ministry of Economy, 2014 5

© Republic of Turkey – Ministry of Economy, 2014 6