Parents who would like to have their kids have the glamour of 'couture' on their special days made a new market grow with the evening dress in the baby-kids products category in Turkey – Europe's second and the world's seventh major garment supplier.

Turkey is the largest manufacturer in the world after Italy in "daily and classic evening dress for kids" and has a market share of about 16.8%. Countries from the Middle East and North Africa such as Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Iran and the Gulf Countries are prominent among those to which companies export evening dress products. That good quality production and stylish design are offered under standard pricing policy, the supply process is fast, the production is delivered in the desired quantity and time, being located in a fast distribution network in the local markets, contact with the dealer is made easily in every period brings advantage to Turkey against its competitors and keeps interest in Turkish products on a high level.

Taking place for the 32nd time in CNR Expo Center, Istanbul Exhibition Center on January 11th – 14th, 2017, "International Istanbul Children Baby Maternity Industry Expo CBME Turkey" is preparing to host over 40 Turkish companies such as; Pamina, Ilgaz Kids, Mialora, Beggi Kids, Nina Matilda, B-95 Group, Micro Bebe, Lindissima, Babooni-Altın Çocuk, Milo Tekstil and Porça which are specialized on evening dress that is the rising trend in Turkey as well as worldwide.

Our goal is to manufacture the most exquisite garment in the cupboards of children in the World and not only for the children in our country…

Ebru Özcan Şenol, General Manager of Pamina Kids which is an exhibitor in CBME Turkey, the 32nd International Istanbul Children Baby Maternity Industry Expo says: "Starting in Turkey, our journey on ready wear soon went beyond the borders of our country. Pamina became an important brand in many countries around the world. Kuwait, Dubai, Palestine, Israel, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Oman, Libya, Algeria, Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are the main countries that we make sale to. As the number of parents who would like to have their kids stylish and glamorous on special days increases, demands for the companies increased as well. Accordingly, the number of evening dress manufacturers has increased recently. Another important factor is the fact that Syrian manufacturers began to make production in Turkey, their customers coming from the Arabic countries and their demand for evening dress".

Mentioning that products preferred in the domestic and external markets vary even depending on the country, Özcan said: "For example, some countries demand clothing with more accessory details while some other countries prefer more plain, simple clothing. Demands as to color vary from country to country as well, however, the cream color definitely rules in the evening dress for kids. Cream is followed by powder. Sometimes we include dark blue, mint, light pink and yellow tones as well. We can say the rising trend for this year is the harmony of sky blue / gold. Accessories with a natural and soft tone are always welcome in the evening dress for kids. Laces, guipures, open-textured fabrics with a web appearance as well as veils flying around are indispensable for our evening dresses". 

Postings of mums on the social media cause the interest in ceremony evening dress to increase as well…

Nurgül Çakıroğlu, General Manager of Ilgaz Kids, a CBME Turkey exhibitor manufacturing ceremony evening dress and suit for boys and girls aged between 6 months to 15 years and having an experience of over 40 years in the industry says: "We prepare evening dress and wedding dress for girls and suit collections for boys with our Chaton D'or brand. Our products are greatly appreciated in both domestic and the overseas market. Italy, France, Portugal, UK, Greece, Dubai, other Arabic countries and Turkish Republics are our major buyers abroad. Cultural differences and climate properties have an impact on product preference. For example, British people prefer dark blue and saxe colors while Middle Eastern countries prefer more lively colors. Lighter and linen fabrics are dominant in areas with hot climate while Italians prefer slim fit clothing that matches their own style". Mentioning that evening dress products have also risen in the domestic market in the last decade, Çakıroğlu highlighted that graduation ceremonies, that mothers want to have their kids wear clothing in different concepts on special days such as birthdays, henna and mevlüt (Islamic memorial event) and that they share these activities on the social media influenced the rise of evening dress as a market.

Turkish ceremony-evening dress products attract overseas buyers with their nature of design and production quality…  

Mentioning that a hundred percent of their products are exported to overseas countries, Emel Ebru Avcı Özdemir, General Manager of Mialora Couture which is a CBME Turkey exhibitor said: "Overseas buyers want to get their money's worth. The major reason why they prefer us, is the superiority of our collections in terms of design and our quality in production. We export mostly to the Russian Federation, Middle East, North Africa, European countries and Turkish Republics. Italy, UK and Germany are among our customers in Europe. Our major competitors in this area are Brazil, Spain and Italy". Addressing the trends in the Ceremony-Evening Dress for Kids, Özdemir said: "Special days are very important in all cultures. For instance, the names and dates of national holidays vary, but the desire of mothers to have their kids get dressed in a stylish and special concept is very similar. The culture regarding special days in our country has recently been developing with more variety as well. For example, the baby shower events that are common abroad are now held in our country too. Birthdays, national holidays, weddings, school parties… there are special concepts and products for them all. I should also remind that postings of mothers on the social media influence the development of this culture".

Everything regarding children, baby and maternity will be in CBME Turkey on January 11th – 14th, 2017…

Mentioning that "the fact that over 40 evening dress companies take part in CBME Turkey which will be organized in CNR Expo Center, Istanbul Expo Center gives us more hope regarding the future of Turkey in the world markets on baby-kids textile", Erdal Baykara, General Manager of UBM ICC says: "We will witness colorful shows in CBME Turkey where particularly the "baby and kids evening dress" companies will exhibit the most recent colors and creations of the new season and their good quality designs suitable for classic and daily usage. However, surely our exhibitor profile is not limited to evening dresses. Everything regarding tool groups such as baby and kids ready wear, accessories, furniture, home textile and baby carriage, stroller and feeding bottle will be displayed in our exhibition. We aimed for attendance from 16,000 national and international visitors from 100 countries with over 350 companies and 750 brands to CBME Turkey in 2017. Our purpose, as always, is to open the gates of new markets and collaborations to the industry, which needs them. Our exhibition offers the opportunity for the exhibitors and visitors to reach many potential customers in Eurasia, Middle East and North Africa".  

Families in Turkey spend 60$ a month for their babies aged up to 2 years and on average 700-800$ a year…

Turkey has the youngest population in Europe and on average 1 million 250 thousand babies are born every year.  The fact that the number of babies and infants aged 0 to 3 is 4.7 million and the number of kids aged between 0 and 5 is 7 million makes Turkey the focus of attention for national and international companies seeking new markets. It is estimated that the baby and children products market will have a combined growth rate (CAGR) of about 12% per year between 2012 and 2017 in Turkey, which ranks the second worldwide with its population increase rate.

Families in Turkey spend 60$ a month for their babies aged up to 2 years and on average 700-800$ a year. This spending is gradually increasing as economic welfare and the awareness level of parents increase. Nevertheless, consumption per baby in Turkey is still below the world average. Baby and children industry is increasing its share in the Turkish economy every day. Although there are no official data or reports covering the entire market, the size of the market shared to babies and kids is estimated to exceed 6 billion TL today.