AYSAF Brings the Industry Together for the 67th Time

AYSAF Brought the Industry Together for the 67th Time AYSAF, the unchanging address of the footwear industry, reiterated its message at the fair hosting visitors from 84 countries: "Exports begin in the supply industry. There is no complete industry without a supply industry" The International Footwear Supply Industry Fair AYSAF, the most important meeting point for the footwear sector, hosted world-leading companies in its field for the 67th time for the autumn-winter season between 16-19 November 2022 at Istanbul Expo Centre. The opening of the 67th Footwear Supply Industry Fair AYSAF, organized through cooperation between the Footwear Supply Manufacturers Association AYSAD and Artkim Fuarcılık, bringing together leading firms from around the world, was held by İTO President Şekib Avdagiç, İDMİB President Güven Karaca, AYSAD President Sait Salıcı and Artkim Fuarcılık Executive Board President Cengiz Yaman, with the message conveyed in speeches: "Exports begin in the supply industry. There is no complete industry without a supply industry". The fair welcomed a total of 15,072 visitors, of which 3,284 were foreign, from 84 different countries, with a total of 330 companies participating.

Shoeport Announcement

At the opening, AYSAD President Sait Salıcı shared production and export data and targets concerning the sector, then announced the launch of the SHOEPORT portal, "the door Turkey's footwear industry opens to the digital world" and the meeting point for supply manufacturers. İTO President Şekib Avdagiç stated that "chambers of commerce, chambers of industry and sectors will develop when they cooperate," adding: "our goal is not just to make companies profit, but to contribute to the country's economy."

B2B Meeting Areas Will Facilitate Trade

İDMİB President Güven Karaca stated in his remarks that "the leather sector is the 4th largest exporting sector" and that they attach great importance to the growth of e-commerce volume. Karaca noted that the Purchasing Delegation that came to the fair under the organization of the Ministry of Commerce and coordination of İDMİB would conduct both individual visits and meet with participating companies in a specially created B2B meeting area. He also stated that they aim for the current e-commerce volume of USD 15.5 trillion to reach USD 57 trillion by 2027 through such efforts. Alongside the commercial purchasing delegation, within the scope of the overseas sectoral purchasing delegation organized especially for the fair by AYSAD and Artkim Fuarcılık, potential buyers from Albania, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Algeria, Armenia, Morocco, Palestine, Greece, Georgia, Iraq, Kosovo, Lebanon, Tunisia and Jordan met with participating companies at the fair. With Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan country pavilions in place, AYSAF provided an ideal platform for the sector to meet its needs for shoe sole systems, leather, synthetic leather, textiles, metal and plastic products, chemicals, adhesives, machinery, equipment and production technologies. AYSAF once again served as an important bridge between manufacturers and buyers.

"We have a hardworking and dynamic structure that turns crises into opportunities"

Footwear Supply Manufacturers Association President Sait SALICI stated that the footwear sector size is USD 9 billion, emphasizing that AYSAF plays a critical role in this roadmap and that the "Footwear and Components" sector is the most important sub-sector supporting the footwear sector's total export share and is the most important driving force in exports. SALICI continued as follows: "As you know, Russia and Ukraine are important markets in terms of size and potential for our country and our sector. As a sector and as a country, we have a hardworking and dynamic structure that turns crises into opportunities. Large-scale companies producing in Russia and sourcing their needs from European countries redirected their purchases to our country due to the current situation in Ukraine. Turkey has become the safest harbor, especially for Europe. Changes in supply chains worldwide have also benefited our sector. Demand for footwear from European countries has increased in particular. For this reason, we are experiencing a 23% increase in exports compared to last year. In the ranking of the top 5 countries to which Turkey exported the most footwear and components during the September 2022 period: Germany, Georgia, Egypt, Morocco and Romania are listed. Compared to the same period last year, our export figures to these countries showed a total increase of 1,604%.

"Eyes have turned to Turkey in the footwear sector"

Foreign visitors from other regions seeking alternatives—the Middle East, North Africa, Turkic republics, Eastern Europe and the Balkans—prefer Turkey in their visit and purchasing routes both due to geographical proximity advantage, the advantage of being able to make purchases in smaller quantities, and the price-quality balance of products. Our footwear supply industry companies are extremely capable, open to technological innovations and have sufficient infrastructure and potential to meet export demands. Due to this strong structure, I do not think our sector would be significantly affected by a possible recession in European countries. Because footwear sector dynamics are those of a very strong sector. European Union countries, which have so far met large quantities of products from the Far East, are now turning to our country, which has a greater geographical advantage, to meet all their smaller-quantity and short-term needs. At this point, AYSAF, which has made significant contributions to exports in the footwear and supply industry for many years, also plays an active role in reaching innovative products and services to a wide audience and establishing new sectoral business connections. As the umbrella organization of the sector, by continuously developing our International Footwear Supply Industry Fair AYSAF, where we demonstrate our strength in the international arena, we believe we will make our potential known to the entire world with greater ambitions," he said.

Fashion Begins in the Supply Industry Fashion Show

On days 2 and 3 of the fair (17-18 November), with the motto "Fashion Begins in the Supply Industry," a fashion show was organized featuring renowned models Özge Ulusoy, Zeliha Çal and registered beauties, giving participating companies the opportunity to showcase their latest collections. At AYSAF, companies also presented outstanding trend products for sector appreciation in the trend area created at the fair.

AYSAF Sets World Trends

The 67th Footwear Supply Industry Fair AYSAF, realized through the organization of Artkim Fuarcılık with 20 years of experience in the exhibition field and having held specialized fairs in national and international standards to date, hosted innovations in the footwear supply industry sector in various events and special project areas.