7 Popular Turkish Clothing Brands
The famous clothes designer Edith Head once said, "You can have anything in life if you dress for it" and judging from the many Turkish clothes brands with six-digit turnover figures, Turks think the same for wardrobes. In Turkey, feeling good and looking good go hand in hand and the younger Turkish generation of shoppers are not only following garment and fashion trends but setting them. But it was not always like this. For many decades, Turkey lagged the fashion and clothing industries of countries like France, America, and England.
Then, at the turn of the century, Turkish clothing manufacturers emerged in the fashion-industry as a force to be reckoned with. The Internet made it easier to reach the masses, and gaining countrywide recognition, some went global. As with any tale of fashion houses, Istanbul must be mentioned. It is to Turkey what Paris is to France and New York to America. A destination where clothing and fashion brands are made or broken. This is where high-fashion addicts shop for the crème de la crème. Whether you want haute couture, high-end boutiques or to replicate the style of a celebrity, the fashion houses of Istanbul and luxury brands accommodate every whim.
The clothing brand, Midnight Express in Bebek, whose average prices of goods start at 2,000 Turkish lira is a perfect example. Specialising in casual chic fashion and high-end jewellery, they source unique clothing from international and Turkish designers. Atelier 55 in the Galata district makes a lot of money using the same concept as does Building who pride themselves on working with up-and-coming designers. The list of fashion labels goes on and on to include names like glamorous Vakko, Fey, Arzu Kaprol, and Beyman, but heading out of Istanbul to the rest of Turkey, which brands are favourites for all the family, young and old?
7 Popular Turkish Clothes Brands
1: Ipekyol: For the Modern Urban Woman
Ipekyol first opened in 1989, and as one of Turkey's most successful clothing brands, now has 142 stores across Turkey. Also making a roaring trade from online shopping, they branched out to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq, Cyprus, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain. Their feminine collections of urban women's wear revolve around the concept of ready-to-wear quality clothing and footwear. They collaborate with many designers, including Zeynep Tosun. In 2016, they launched their denim collection to dress every woman regardless of her size or body shape. As Ipekyol would say, they capture the rhythm of the city and every moment of life and promise every woman wearing their clothing will feel self-confident and relaxed. Such is the shopping-experience success of Ipekyol; garments now include sportswear, shirts, knitwear, jackets, shorts, tops, sweaters, skirts, coats, trousers, swimwear, leggings, hats, sweatshirts, underwear, lingerie and apparel like scarves, belts, handbags, and sunglasses.
2: DeFacto: Top Fashion for the Family
DeFacto first opened in 2005, and its rise to success in the clothing industry led it to open 324 stores in Turkey and 123 stores in 24 other countries including Egypt, Russia, Tunisia, and Kazakhstan. Specialising in apparel and fashion for the entire family, their mission is to be one of the top three Turkish companies in their industry. Much of DeFacto's game plan is based on quality-control at affordable prices, making this brand a favourite of working-class families. They specialise down to the smallest detail. Bespoke collections by fashion designers are created for each country depending on local cultures and lifestyles. It will please fans of the earth to know DeFacto was one of the first Turkish brands to focus on environmentally friendly products because an expert in-house team created their Inova and ECO signature collections.
3: LC Waikiki: A Quest for Global Recognition
LC Waikiki did not start as a Turkish brand, but these days, it is a leading fashion company, not only in Turkey but throughout the world. Founded in 1988 in France, Turkish owners bought it in 1997 and now have 880 stores in 38 countries. LC Waikiki is not content with just dominating the Turkish market because they want to be a leading European company by 2023. In 2017, they entered the Indonesian and more unique Kenyan market, and in 2016, they added home textiles to their LC Waikiki Home brand. Their philosophy that everyone may wear good clothes is clear in their affordable menswear and clothing for women, children, and babies.
4: Mavi Brand of Clothing
Mavi first opened its doors in 1991, and since then, its signature clothing line of jeans, and everything denim has gone onto global success with 440 stores in 35 countries. Such is its success; in 2019, this fashion brand sold nearly ten million pairs of perfect fit jeans. As well as opening their stores, many other fast-fashion stores stock them. Mavi says its success is because of its dedication to quality and passion for growth, and the result is 8 million customers in its loyalty program. Mainly drawing in the admiration of the younger generation, and being a market leader in Turkey, it employs over 4000 people worldwide. Time Out magazine also credits Mavi has the first Turkish brand to go global back in 2003, having opened stores in Frankfurt, Berlin, New York, and Vancouver.
5: Vakko: Fine Luxury
The story of Vakko starts in 1934 with a small hat shop opened by Vitali Hakko. Renamed Vakko four years later, he entered the silk dyeing industry, which was to mark the beginning of his success. Within next to no time, he opened an 8-floor clothing store in Istanbul, followed by Ankara and Izmir. By 1962, the brand was operating out of factories to make clothing and shoe wear products. By the 1970s, having opened more stores, Vakko was becoming a recognised Turkish brand of the garment industry. Fashion and art shows on the catwalk and runway took place in London, Brussels, and Rome. By the 1980s, focus took on another direction with a clothing line aimed at young people. Refreshing its brand identity in 1982, they also launched a signature perfume line, becoming the first fashion house to do so. Since then, they continued to expand by entering various sectors like wedding and workwear. You won't find any bargains at Vakko, but what you will find is a wide choice of clothing that has been named Turkey's number luxury brand.
6: Roman: Timeless Classics
Roman started its journey in 1980 by focusing on high quality and sustainable garments. Soon achieving recognition for its high design power collections, it is now one of the leading luxury apparel brands in the world. Products range from daily wear to cocktail and evening dresses, and one of their target markets is self-confident women who follow trends and do not compromise on style, from day to night. They say they do this by combining sophisticated techniques with elegance. These days they have 58 stores in Turkey and 17 overseas. One of its collections called Moeva is often worn by celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, and Cameron Diaz.
7: Koton: Women's Fashion Brand
Koton says their success is because of creative beliefs, and being customer and technology-oriented. Promising to combine season trends with unique design, they want to have stores in all continents by 2023. They are halfway there by owning 480 stores abroad and 190 overseas. Their special online section accommodates 3 million users a month who eagerly browse through the 20,000 plus products. They have come a long way since their first store in Turkey in 1988. Opening in Munich in 1996, their franchise section was born in 1999. Various awards include the most admired and preferred women brand and most trusted women brand. As well as focusing on women, they expanded into jeans and kids wear.
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