The premier bi-annual event for the textile industry drew in 500 exhibitors and planned for 25,000 visitors over the event from Sept. 9-11, setting targets beyond the traditional—from industry to innovation, from cotton to code.
Marking its 10th edition, Texhibition Istanbul opened at the Istanbul Expo Center on Sept. 9 with its traditional ribbon cutting by members of the industry. The event was spearheaded by minister of Trade Dr. Omer Bolat, who spoke about the government’s commitment to the sector while acknowledging the challenges before it.
There was also a sense of celebration at completing five years of the three day, bi-annual event, which has been crystallizing and finding a sharper focus each season. The intention of becoming the biggest fair in Europe remains central. At this time, the event is spread across 42,580 square meters.
“I have been telling you not to break your hearts,” Bolat said in an impassioned speech at the inauguration. “The demand is changing, it is growing. We will support the industry. We will see this notably by the end of the year. Turkey is a big player in this sector, and we intend to keep it that way.”
Still, the industry is dealing with rising costs, weaker global demand and the additional 12.5 percent tariff imposed by the U.S. in July, which has caused further distress.
According to figures from ITHIB, Turkish exports of textile and raw materials to the U.S. grew 14 percent from January to June 2026, reaching $409 million, making the U.S. the second largest individual export destination for Turkish textiles in that period.
Meanwhile, Turkey remains the fifth largest exporter of textiles in the world, and the second largest to the European Union.
A sector under pressure
Ahmet Sisman, chairman of ITHIB, acknowledged the difficult environment while also pointing to the need for a change in approach. “Today, our sector is going through a hard time. Expenses are up, and the fragility is still there. We have to shift the paradigm. Until today, what made us stronger was our ability to create. We have to keep on changing to fit the times. We have to manage our capacity and adjust trade accordingly. It is not going to be easy,” he said, commending the resilience of the industry.
“This 10th edition, it’s a big number,” he told Sourcing Journal, “and we also maintain the size and importance of the event for the industry even as global shifts are happening.”
“In 2025, we had a 3 percent decline in quantities, but there was also a global decline in quantities of 3 percent. This year has been mixed; the first quarter was poor, the second was better, we have done well in the third quarter and we expect more growth by the end of the year.”
Sisman emphasized one of Turkey’s strongest advantages: its integrated production capabilities, from growing cotton through the production of yarns and fabrics.
Şekib Avdagiç, chairman of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, also pointed to the changing demands on the sector. “Expectations are changing, we are changing to meet them. The increase wasn’t much, but we managed to grow nevertheless. The problem has been the decline in global markets and we are doing our best to handle it, including the Green Deal. Digital passports and recycling and managing waste are hot topics; our responsibilities are high,” he said.
Mustafa Gültepe, chairman of the Turkish Exporters Assembly, noted the industry’s progress while also highlighting the competitiveness challenge. “Turkey is doing something great. We can say that we are not repeating our past mistakes, we are increasing and seeing less mishaps,” he said.
Organized by ITKIB Fuarcilik A.S. on behalf of ITHIB, Texhibition brought together more than 470 companies and 15,493 trade professionals, including 2,888 international visitors. There were nearly 2,500 bilateral meetings with international buyers during the three day show. Among the brands and buyers were Moncler, Nike, Macy’s, Giorgio Armani, Stone Island, Twinset, Urban Outfitters, among others.
Although the corridors were a little quieter on the first day, Sisman told Sourcing Journal that the strategy this time was to bring in “fewer but more quality visitors.”
For exhibitors, the approach appeared to be paying off.
“We’ve had far more global visitors and there has been much more talk of possible business,” said Feliz Ozcel, marketing manager for Baysara Textile. “Usually, they only come in on the second day of the event.”
Speaking to media, Kemal Ozhaseki, a member of the ITHIB board, said Turkey accounted for 3.3 percent of the global market. “2026 has been a bit hard for raw materials and textiles, and harder for apparel exports,” he said.
Yet Texhibition Istanbul itself has been holding steady, taking up five halls while other exhibitions around the world were shrinking. Even with visitors from more than 90 countries, the rhetoric on the floor was remarkably consistent, focusing on digital product passports, sustainability, energy costs and the need to do more with less.
Trends, innovation and special area-focus
The response to those pressures was visible throughout the exhibition floor. The latest developments in fabrics, denim, accessories and yarn featuring woven and knitted fabrics.
Meanwhile, imaginatively designed trend sections highlighted seasonal colors, yarns and materials, while the Innovation Hub, curated by designers Filiz Tunca and Gamze Saracoglu, showcased next-generation materials.
The SmartTex Hub added another layer, focusing on high-performance and functional materials.
Many manufacturers spoke about the wider imperative for the Turkish industry, namely the challenges that come with staying in the race despite high wage rates of approximately $1,000 per month. The sector needs to lean into areas where it can differentiate, they said, including technical materials, modern manufacturing, design and proximity to major markets.
Aptly, the trend areas were shaped around the main concept of time. “Traces of Time—Carrying the Past into the Future” was a theme, and the exhibitions explored time as a continuous transformation in which every new layer carries traces of the past. The four thematic worlds included Earth, Water, Light and Sky, ranging from natural pigments and raw textures to fluidity and transparency; shimmer and light shadows, while the sky evoked infinity with voluminous and atmospheric surfaces.
Technology takes the floor
The technology theme was not confined to fabrics and product development. A long-limbed robot bounded along the corridors to “meet and greet” visitors, eliciting more than a few smiles—particularly when he shook hands with Sisman in one of the show’s high-tech areas.
An installation in the foyer brought technology and textiles together: as visitors touched fabrics hanging from a central rod, huge digital screens behind it lit up in the color of the fabric. Created by artist Suleyman Yilmaz, the installation was an encapsulation of the spirit of the show: technology, color and advanced thinking aimed at meeting the future.
From waste to new markets
“Texhibition is keeping us very close to our customers,” said Yucel Bayram, sales and marketing director at Kipas Textiles. “Meanwhile, oil prices are killing us, margins are going down and trade routes are changing delivery times. Consumers are more nervous with the uncertainties of the wars.”
Kipas, which continues to be one of the giants of the industry with a $1.5 billion turnover, of which approximately $400 million comes from the textiles and apparel sector, is nonetheless investing heavily in sustainability. The company is one of the largest yarn manufacturers in the region.
Kipas fibR-e, launched in December 2025, is the company’s polyester recycling solution. “We can make virgin-quality polyester without removing the accessories. It has a 100-ton capacity per month and has been catching a lot of attention from global brands,” Bayram said, referring to the plant that combines molecular recycling (glycolysis) and thermomechanical recycling to process complex post-consumer waste containing 70 percent or more polyester. The technology was developed with Meltem Kimya, a Turkish chemical manufacturer.
While Kipas works with many global brands across continents, it has also invested heavily in reducing its carbon footprint, with renewable energy becoming a major focus. Yet Bayram, who has been with the company for more than two decades, remains pragmatic.
“There are so many challenges at the moment: the decline in global orders, the challenges to keep the costing reasonable while making all the changes in sustainability, as well as the trade wars. We can wake up in another scenario on any given day,” he said.
The Revalue Stock Hub in Hall 5 brought the circularity message down to a practical level, focusing on leftover fabrics and ways to bring them back into the commercial cycle.
At the hub, A. Koon Hursitoglu, co-founder of Fabriqa Innovation, held court as manufacturers from different stalls swept by, looking at ways technology could help turn leftover stock into an opportunity. “The hub allows international brands, buyers, and designers at the trade fair to scan physical overstock or deadstock fabrics via Kartelam QR tags, trace product data, view fabrics dynamically via 3D simulation tools, and request sourcing samples in real time,” he said. “It makes waste or discarded materials useful and accessible.”
The event also took a small step toward broadening its international reach. While Texhibition has remained strongly focused on Turkish manufacturers, this time four international exhibitors were included from Japan and Italy, including Uni Textile, Stylem Takisada-Osaka, Cafissi and Lanificio Brunetto Morganti.
“We are open, but selective. The door is not closed,” Ozhaseki said.
Looking toward growth by December
For some manufacturers, the final quarter of 2026 is already showing signs of improvement.
“We are so hopeful about the fourth quarter. We are receiving many sample requests, and customers are reaching out much more than last quarter,” said V. Besim Ozek, strategy and business development director at Bossa.
But the U.S. market remains unpredictable, he said. “The last tariff of 12.5 percent imposed in July is the main reason why U.S. orders are fluctuating a lot. Our expectation was to double our sales to the U.S., but the additional tariffs add a lot of pressure,” he explained.
Bossa, one of Turkey’s largest integrated textile companies, reported revenues of 6.91 billion Turkish lira in 2025 (around $175 million at the annual average exchange rate).
Ozek said traceability and compliance were becoming increasingly important advantages for customers, particularly as the industry moves toward greater transparency. “The thing that almost all the industry partners know is that if you are going to buy more from Bossa, you will have no headaches the next year,” he said.
The company is working toward a digital product passport for 2026, which Ozek said would allow customers to trace everything from the farm level through chemical and social compliance to carbon footprint and energy use.
Bossa’s sustainability credentials are also expanding, with 45 percent of sales carrying GRS certification last year, up from 30 percent the previous year, according to Ozek.
But there is no single approach to the global textile market, he emphasized. “There is not just one truth about the industry; there are different truths, and our job is to serve each market.”
Germany, for example, prefers denim with an average weight of 7–8 ounces, while France favors heavier denim, closer to 14 ounces. The U.S., meanwhile, prefers fabrics that are “very smooth, high performance,” he said.
For Texhibition, the message after five years is clear: never give up. Several manufacturers repeated the mantra, urging each other to remember the integrated production capabilities that have long been Turkey’s strength will continue to be a point of differentiation. Technology, the benefits of near-shoring, and a fast run on sustainability are the other ingredients in a formula they believe will carry them forcefully into 2027.