New Expansions in the Ready-to-Wear and Garment Industries at the Start of 2024

Article Author: Prof. Dr. Bülent Özipek

Within its sustainable development, our Ready-to-Wear and Garment Industry has entered a new era with the aim of turning towards high value-added products and increasing its exports with its potential, production power, know-how and R&D and Design infrastructure.

In the case of high value-added products, manufacturing activities essentially become the lowest value-added stage in the value chain. The higher value-added stages of the value chain include identifying global needs that have not yet been met, developing concepts for these needs, conducting laboratory experiments, developing prototypes based on R&D and Design, conducting international market research and trials, improving the concept based on feedback, building, testing and developing the functional product/prototype, performing engineering processes, investing in small-scale production, marketing and ensuring market acceptance, establishing distribution networks and providing complementary services. In the light of all these issues, the sector is required to make a new breakthrough in 2024. The emergence of new connections with the Far East about Europe which is our main market in the world, and the tendency towards the Far East in the cost competition, have once again emphasized the fact that serious measures must be taken in our international competition. Foremost among these is the failure to realize the export product portfolio with high added value, which has been emphasized for years but has not yet reached the expected level.

US market should be targeted

I am of the opinion that we do not have a problem competing in the world market in terms of infrastructure and R&D opportunities. However, it is clear that high value-added products should be sustainable products equipped with functional features. Especially targeting such innovative products to the US market, where we believe we have not reached the share we deserve, will lead to a radical increase in production. 2024 should be the year in which such a breakthrough will be achieved. Undoubtedly, for such a goal, it is essential to transform recycled textile materials, which are indispensable for sustainability, into new outputs with an innovative design concept. This is the key point in the added value that needs to be increased. R&D ready-made clothing and garment products supported by newly acquired and biodegradable fibers will be able to bring a new export growth to our country.

Sustainability and industry 4.0

Undoubtedly, in order to achieve such a goal, elements such as environment, people and corporate social responsibility are prioritized today. In this sense, sustainability has gained great importance in terms of environmental and human health, efficient use of resources and has also reached great dimensions as a marketing power. Today, “sustainability” can be defined as all of the activities that envisage economic success, environmental quality and social equality at the same time. Environmentally sensitive and sustainable production has become a criterion in all processes. Beyond this, in the light of technological developments, while efforts are being made to supply human needs in the shortest time economically and quickly, Industry 4.0 applications have gained urgency today. When this undeniable success is carried to a higher segment with the traceability studies that have been initiated and should be developed in relation to traceability, there will be no obstacles in front of us. These issues, which are underlined very briefly, will be realized as a result of the work to be carried out by combining the R&D and design capabilities. Realization of the new breakthroughs mentioned in this new period will be a new turning point. I believe that GARMENT NEWS presented to the sector with such an understanding will be the source of motivation and voice of our sector. With these feelings, I wish a successful new year to all the influential and authorized persons of our Textile and Ready-to-Wear and Garment industry.