By Seda Tolmac
Türkiye’s wedding gowns have gained significant popularity worldwide in the recent years, thanks to their high-quality manufacturing and refreshing designs, as exports to Europe, Asia, and North America are on the rise.
Turkish wedding gown exports amounted to $3.7 million in 2023, up 35.7% year-on-year from 2022, TurkStat data revealed.
Türkiye’s statistical bureau said wedding gown manufacturers in the country exported over 23,300 gowns last year, with more than 7,800 gowns sold to Germany.
In the same period, Saudi Arabia was the second-largest recipient of Turkish-made wedding gowns with a little over 2,000 units, followed by Iraq with 1,700, Austria with 1,400, and Sweden with a bit over 1,000 units.
As for 2024, Turkish wedding gown exports amounted to $1.4 million in January-May.
During that period, Türkiye exported over 11,800 gowns, some 2,900 of which were imported by Germany.
Iraq was the second-largest importer of Turkish wedding gowns with 1,450 units in the first five months of the year, followed by Denmark with 1,300, the US with 1,340, and Austria with over 900 units.
- Turkish wedding gown industry offers competitive products in design and quality
Huseyin Ozturk, the head of the Turkish Fashion and Apparel Federation, told Anadolu that the wedding gown industry has a large domestic market and a strong export potential.
"Turkish wedding gown makers have made a name for themselves with their competitive designs and quality from Europe to America and to the Gulf and Central Asia," said Ozturk.
He added that the annual IF Wedding Fashion event held in the Aegean province of Izmir is the largest wedding clothing organization in Europe, hosting participants from all over the world.
Turan Aksoy, the president of the Istanbul Wedding Dress Manufacturers and Exporters Association, told Anadolu that Turkish wedding gown designers have really stepped up their success in custom-fitted and high-end “haute couture” gowns.
Aksoy noted that with the high-quality materials used in gowns, coupled with excellent dressmaking, the preference for Turkish-made wedding gowns has grown worldwide, especially in contrast to European competitors, as Turkish gowns offer more variety.
“The best target market for Turkish wedding gowns is Spain, and the US is also great in this period,” said Aksoy.
* Writing by Emir Yildirim.