Held for the 18th time this year, IF Wedding Fashion İzmir welcomed a total of 14,606 visitors from 72 provinces of Türkiye and 79 countries around the world. Hosting domestic and international exhibitors, professional visitors, designers, emerging talents and vibrant runway shows showcasing 2025 fashion trends, the fair also paved the way for new business collaborations.
Hosted by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and organized by İZFAŞ in partnership with the Aegean Clothing Manufacturers Association (EGSD), IF Wedding Fashion İzmir – Bridal, Groom and Evening Wear Fair welcomed professional visitors from both Türkiye and across the globe. Showcasing 2025 collections for the first time, IF Wedding Fashion İzmir once again dazzled with glamorous runways featuring designs by renowned brands and emerging talents. World-famous fashion designer Randy Fenoli, host of the popular American reality show “Say Yes to the Dress,” participated in the fair both as an exhibitor and as the honorary jury member of the Bridal Gown Design Competition, drawing great interest from both exhibitors and visitors.
With a total of 14,606 professional visitors—11,496 domestic from 72 provinces and 3,110 international from 79 countries ranging from Australia to Canada—the fair once again became one of the sector’s most important global meeting points. Professional visitors from every continent held B2B meetings with exhibitors and signed numerous agreements. Reinforcing Türkiye’s leading position in the bridal and evening wear sector, IF Wedding Fashion İzmir once again became the gateway through which the fashion world opens from İzmir to the globe. The fair attracted attention not only through its product diversity, commercial relations, B2B meetings and contribution to exports, but also through events such as runway shows and presentations of designs set to shape 2025 fashion trends.
Held for the 15th time, the Bridal Gown Design Competition continued to support the sector’s aim of standing out in global markets with original designs. In the competition themed “Return to the Roots,” first place was awarded to Öztürk Yıkılmaz, who received a TRY 75,000 prize and earned the right to stage a Performance Fashion Show at IF Wedding Fashion İzmir 2025. Habibe Çakır placed second, receiving TRY 50,000, while Eren Timoçin took third place with a TRY 25,000 prize.
Honorary guest of the fair and jury member of the Bridal Gown Design Competition, Randy Fenoli, said:
“When I was nine years old, I sewed a dress for my mother on her sewing machine, and I have been part of the fashion world ever since. I have been designing bridal gowns since 1993. In 2007, I became the producer and host of ‘Say Yes to the Dress,’ which has been broadcast in 160 countries. I am now a globally recognized designer, and my collections are sold in more than 60 countries. I attend many events and fairs from America to Europe to showcase my collections. I am very happy to be at IF Wedding Fashion İzmir. I would like to emphasize two points: First, the opening ceremony was outstanding. Being a jury member of the design competition was very exciting for me, as I was once a student who won awards and found great inspiration. Second, closing the mixed fashion show with five dresses from my collections was a special experience. What impressed me most was seeing buyers from all over the world here. Meeting them and learning about their cultures made me very happy. I invite everyone to this fair, and I would like to be here again at the next edition.”
Jamila – Erdoğan Kulu:
“We have been in the fashion industry for many years, focusing solely on evening wear. We are an İzmir-based company exporting to Europe, and before the war, we also exported to the Middle East. During the fair, we hosted many new customers from Mexico to the United States and signed new sales and cooperation agreements. This year, I saw buyers from South Korea for the first time. That is one of the fair’s major advantages. We have been participating for 11 years.”
Torres Ceremonia – Serdar Çakırlı:
“We have been exhibitors since the very first year. We export to 28 countries and specialize exclusively in groom wear, focusing on design and tailoring. We have a store in Milan. This year, the most important observation was the diversity of new visitors and their varied product demands, particularly for our design-oriented collections. Customers placed their orders with satisfaction, and we received orders from Australia and Canada, including chain stores. IF Wedding Fashion İzmir is extremely well-organized—from hotels and transfers to overall coordination. We attend fairs all over the world, but we do not see this level of B2B relations and organization anywhere else.”
Filiz Çekil Bridal Atelier – Filiz Çekil:
“I am a designer and company owner. We came from Bursa, where we operate two stores. This was our first time participating, and we also held a fashion show. It was a beautiful show, we received very positive feedback and established strong international connections. We are very satisfied and truly glad we participated. We will definitely take part again next year.”
Niobe – Oğuz Sümer:
“We are a 45-year-old İzmir-based company, exporting our products to 12 countries in Europe and 70 provinces across Türkiye. We are very happy to be part of the fair and had an enjoyable experience. Participation and interest were very strong, with nearly 50% international visitors. Despite challenges in the market, the fair brought excitement and motivation. Everyone was satisfied.”
Günbeyi Group – Şenol Günbeyi:
“We are a family company founded in 1995, exporting our designs worldwide. We have five branches in İstanbul and participate as a group with Günbeyi, Rojbey and Belley brands. We are very satisfied with visitor interest. Although the market is experiencing a slowdown, the fair exceeded our expectations by far. We are pleased with the sales, welcoming customers from both domestic and international markets.”