One of Europe’s largest fashion fairs, IF Wedding Fashion İzmir, has opened its doors for the 19th time. Held at Fuar İzmir between January 20–22, the fair brings together domestic and international industry representatives in İzmir. Speaking at the opening ceremony, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay emphasized that İzmir is a global production hub in the fashion and ready-to-wear industry, stating that they will continue to support the sector with an approach focused on production, design, and exports.
Hosted by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, organized by İZFAŞ, and held in cooperation with the Aegean Clothing Manufacturers Association, the IF Wedding Fashion İzmir – 19th Bridal, Groom and Eveningwear Fair opened at Fuar İzmir. The opening ceremony, hosted by Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay, was attended by Mehmet Ali Kılıçkaya, Director General of Exports at the Ministry of Trade; Mahmut Özgener, Chairman of the İzmir Chamber of Commerce; Jak Eskinazi, Coordinator Chairman of the Aegean Exporters’ Associations; as well as presidents and representatives of associations, NGOs, chambers, fashion industry professionals, designers, international sector representatives, council members, and bureaucrats.
This year, 203 companies are participating in IF Wedding Fashion İzmir, including 185 domestic firms from 11 cities and 18 international firms from 8 countries. The fair, held in İzmir—the capital of fashion and bridalwear—is expected to host over 20,000 industry professionals.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay stated that with IF Wedding Fashion İzmir, they are celebrating İzmir’s labor, design strength, and a success story woven stitch by stitch over 19 years. He emphasized that the global fashion and ready-to-wear industry is undergoing a transformation and that production alone is no longer sufficient, noting that design, originality, and creativity are the true drivers of added value.
“Figures are clear,” Tugay said. “The global wedding apparel market has exceeded 80 billion dollars and will soon become a 100-billion-dollar giant. Türkiye is going through a challenging period in overall exports, which may be a result of global trade wars. However, the way out of this bottleneck is exactly what we see in this hall. While Türkiye’s average export unit price is 1.6 dollars, the average of our Aegean Ready-to-Wear and Apparel Exporters’ Association members exceeds 21 dollars. When it comes to bridalwear and eveningwear, this figure reaches 100 dollars per kilogram. This is the formula we are looking for: added value. Added value rises where design, labor, and aesthetics exist.”
Highlighting İzmir’s role in the sector, Tugay said:
“I proudly state that İzmir is not only the locomotive of this sector in Türkiye but also a global production center. Seventy percent of Türkiye’s bridalwear production is carried out in our beautiful İzmir through the hard work of more than 1,000 companies. From Europe to the Middle East, from America to Asia, İzmir’s signature accompanies young people on their happiest days around the world. Protecting and growing this major ecosystem, which provides jobs and livelihoods for tens of thousands of our citizens, must be a priority for all of us.”
Stating that they raise the bar higher every year in cooperation with the Aegean Clothing Manufacturers Association, Tugay said:
“The 2027 collections are being unveiled for the first time in the world in these halls. In addition, through the Bridalwear Design Competition, which we have been organizing for 16 years, we support young talents and build the future of fashion from İzmir. The creativity of our youth is the most concrete indicator of İzmir’s vision as a ‘City of Design.’”
Thanking all stakeholders who contributed to this success, Tugay concluded:
“I sincerely thank all our producers, chambers, unions, stakeholder institutions, and companies who believe in the power of İzmir. As İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, we will always stand by you with our development approach centered on production, design, and exports. I wish IF Wedding Fashion İzmir success and prosperity for our city and our country. The heart of fashion will continue to beat in İzmir.”
Noting that IF Wedding Fashion İzmir is included in the prestigious fairs category, Mehmet Ali Kılıçkaya, Director General of Exports at the Ministry of Trade, said:
“We are witnessing together the success of one of our leading cities that consistently increases its export power. İzmir plays a strategic role in Türkiye’s global competitiveness journey.”
Highlighting İzmir’s export performance, Kılıçkaya added:
“In 2025, İzmir became Türkiye’s third-largest exporting province with 23.6 billion dollars in exports. With this achievement, İzmir continues to be the pride of our country. Our fashion and ready-to-wear sector stands among the fundamental pillars of our economy in terms of both employment and added value.”
Among the highlights of IF Wedding Fashion İzmir are runway shows where 2027 collections will be presented for the first time. In 12 fashion shows featuring renowned models, collections of leading brands as well as works by young designers will be showcased. High visitor interest is expected throughout the fair.
In addition to fashion shows, IF Wedding Fashion İzmir is once again hosting a special design exhibition focused on social responsibility. Following last year’s black bridal gown project raising awareness about violence against women, the İzmir Fashion Designers Association is presenting a new project this year aimed at breast cancer awareness.
Öztürk Yıkılmaz, winner of the 2025 Bridalwear Design Competition, will take part in IF Wedding Fashion İzmir this year with a performance fashion show. Prepared under the theme “Silent Nobility,” the 20-piece collection includes bridal gowns alongside predominantly eveningwear designs.
Held between January 20–22, IF Wedding Fashion İzmir aims to strengthen the city’s position in fashion, bridalwear, groomwear, and eveningwear. Beyond its commercial dimension, the fair will showcase competitions and runway shows presenting new collections, making design more visible while also creating a strong trade platform for the industry. Meetings with domestic and international professional visitors are expected to open new markets and contribute to export connections.