From İHKİB, the Metamorphosis Project for Ready-to-Wear

İHKİB Launches Metamorphosis Project for Ready-Made Clothing Sector Digital transformation is advancing at full pace in ready-made clothing and apparel, a sector that ranks first among Turkey's net exporting industries. İHKİB, which accounts for approximately 70 percent of sectoral exports, is also leading digital transformation efforts through the Metamorphosis Project: Digital Transformation in Turkey's Ready-Made Clothing Sector from Design to Production. The Istanbul Ready-Made Clothing and Apparel Exporters Association (İHKİB), flagship of the Turkish fashion industry, is strengthening sector competitiveness through the Metamorphosis Project: Digital Transformation in Turkey's Ready-Made Clothing Sector from Design to Production. The project information meeting, financed within the framework of European Union and Turkish Republic financial cooperation and conducted by the Ministry of Industry and Technology under the Competitive Sectors Program, was held in Istanbul. Mustafa Paşahan, Deputy Chairman of İHKİB's Board of Management, spoke at the opening of the meeting at the Foreign Trade Center, underlining that the fashion industry ranks first among Turkey's net exporting sectors. Paşahan, stating that as İHKİB they have repositioned the sector on the basis of sustainable production, digital supply and value chains, expressed the following:

Mustafa Paşahan: We Will Adapt EU Digital Single Market Strategy to the Sector

"We have been working on digitalization and sustainable production for years. Through the Metamorphosis Project we launched a year ago, we aim to increase the competitive power of SMEs in Turkey by promoting digital transformation, alignment with international practices and environmentally friendly solutions. We have placed the Digital Transformation Center, which serves as the project's headquarters, at the service of the sector. With this center, which we could call a 'model factory,' we are strengthening the digital transformation capacity of our SMEs. Through our digital transformation project, we will also adapt the European Union Digital Single Market Strategy to the Turkish ready-made clothing sector. We will be the first example in our country of studying European Union strategies on a sectoral basis." Following the opening remarks, the session titled 'Strategic Digital Transformation and Fashion for Global Competition' was attended as guests by İHKİB Board of Management Member Ayhan ONAT, Digital Transformation Center Director Emrah Özkorkmaz, Ecotex General Manager Nida Arslanbey and Istanbul Fashion Academy Training Coordinator Gülin Girişimen. In the session moderated by journalist Vahap Munyar, speakers provided information about the services of İHKİB subsidiaries Digital Transformation Center, Istanbul Fashion Academy and Ecotex, and their work on digital transformation. The second session, moderated by journalist Şeref Oğuz, was organized under the title 'Legal Regulations and Financing Mechanisms in Digitalization.' The speakers in this session, Pınar Artıran, Faculty Member at Bilgi University, Tolga Erkan, Manager of KOSGEB İkitelli, and Dr. Hale Ay, Senior Expert in Scientific Programs at TÜBİTAK, provided participants with information on current legal regulations and financing mechanisms that companies can benefit from.

Digital Era in Ready-Made Clothing and Textile Sector

The Metamorphosis Project, of which İHKİB is a beneficiary, is financed within the framework of European Union and Turkish Republic financial cooperation. The project, conducted by the Ministry of Industry and Technology, is supported under the Competitive Sectors Program. The project, which began in 2022, aims to increase the competitive power of SMEs in Turkey's ready-made clothing and textile sectors by promoting digital transformation, alignment with international practices and environmentally friendly solutions. The İHKİB Digital Transformation Center serves as the project's headquarters. The Digital Transformation Center, which became operational a year ago, provides training and consulting services to companies engaged in manufacturing using traditional methods so they can transform themselves. Companies can also benefit from the center's facilities to digitalize their products and transfer them to e-commerce and e-export platforms.