Hikmet Tanrıverdi, who announced his candidacy for the presidency of İHKİB with the support of the leading associations of the ready-to-wear sector:

With a 1 billion dollar team, we will complete the change and transformation in apparel

Hikmet Tanrıverdi, who announced that he was a candidate for the presidency of Istanbul Ready-to-Wear and Apparel Exporters' Association (İHKİB), said: "In order to complete the change and transformation we have initiated in the ready-to-wear sector, which is the lifeline of Turkey, we are again a candidate for the management together with my friends."

Hikmet Tanrıverdi, together with Volkan Atik, Chairman of the Board of Directors of AVVA and Fatih Yarkın, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Akın Çorap, at the press conference where he announced his candidacy for the ordinary general assembly to be held on Monday, April 21, 2014, emphasized that they made İHKİB the exporter association that produced the most projects in the past 6 years. Mr. Tanrıverdi stated that as a result of their performance, they have received the support of all the leading associations of the sector and they are running for the management for the last time.

Stating that although many new fields have been opened in the Turkish economy, which has gained significant momentum in the last 10 years, the ready-to-wear sector has never lost its importance, Tanrıverdi said: "On the one hand, Turkey is developing, production, exports are increasing, and national income is rising. On the other hand, when there is a crisis due to local or global reasons, ready-to-wear clothing is Turkey's lifeline. For this reason, we always maintain our weight in the general economy. For example, while Turkey's exports remained unchanged in 2013 with 151.7 billion dollars compared to the previous year, we, as the ready-to-wear sector, realized 17.4 billion dollars of exports with an increase of 8.3 percent despite many negative developments in the world markets. 74.9 percent of the 17.4 billion dollars of ready-to-wear exports were made by İHKİB.

When we look at the first quarter data of 2014, Turkey's exports increased by 6.2 percent, while this rate was 9 percent in the ready-to-wear sector. As the ready-to-wear sector, we have a share of 12.1 percent in total exports. We have achieved an increase in exports in 9 of the top 10 countries that make up our largest market. In this success, our companies that make up our sector, especially our current board of directors and all our friends from the lowest level employee to the general secretariat management who work in our union have a significant contribution."

We put stone on stone

Hikmet Tanrıverdi underlined that they took on the task "to put stone upon stone" and that they made İHKİB the association with the highest number of projects in Turkey by planning for the future, and continued as follows "Since the day we took office, we have organized 68 fairs all over the world. We have organized trade delegation programs to 15 countries from the USA to Denmark, from Nigeria to France, the center of fashion. We have taken part in 49 procurement delegation programs. In order to pave the way for Turkish fashion, we have organized the Koza Young Fashion Designers Competition every year and brought new talents to our country. We have invested in the future of the sector by using the European Union and various international funds and implementing 13 projects worth 60 million TL. With Istanbul Fashion Week, we realized what has not been dared to this day and made our mark in the Turkish ready-to-wear sector. At least as important as these, we have eliminated the disorganization and resentment in the sector and united with a single goal within the framework of common ideals. While we have completed some of our projects, we have started some others. We have been re-appointed for a 4-year term in order to complete the unfinished ones and to realize new projects in line with the conditions of the new economy."

Hikmet Tanrıverdi also shared the following information about the innovations and projects to be brought to the sector in the coming period:

We will unite all our education units under one roof by establishing a Design University.
We will complete the Ready-to-Wear Organized Industrial Zone (HOSAB) project in Şanlıurfa and start a new era in our sector.
We have reached the final stage in our efforts to include design studies in the apparel sector within the scope of product development and R&D supports. We will make this support available to our sector.
We will establish an information communication center that will meet the needs of our members from finance to human resources, from design to communication.
We will work to reduce bureaucracy so that our exporters can access fair and overseas store supports more easily.
We will bring our companies face to face with direct buyers through the portal we have established, and we will further expand the market network of our sector in the world.
With our initiatives, the requirement to provide a letter of guarantee from banks in order to benefit from Eximbank loans was changed. From now on, our companies will be able to benefit from Eximbank loans by showing their export documents as collateral.
Hikmet Tanrıverdi said that as a result of the work carried out so far and the projects presented for the future, the Turkish Clothing Manufacturers' Association (TGSD), Osmanbey Textile Businessmen's Association (OTİAD), Laleli Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (LASIAD), Merter Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (MESİAD), He emphasized that all the leading associations of the sector such as Bayrampaşa Textile and Industrialist Businessmen Association (BATİAD), Garment Side Industrialists Association (KYSD), All Underwear Industrialists Association (TİGSAD), Turkish Tricot Industrialists Association (TRİSAD) and Fashion Designers Association (MTD) supported them.

There are not projects but incoherent rhetoric

In response to a question, Hikmet Tanrıverdi explained that his company had emerged from the bankruptcy postponement process a while ago and continued its ordinary activities, and that they were candidates for the IHKIB administration with a team with exports of over 1 billion dollars. Tanrıverdi said, "Some of our friends, who cannot express themselves with projects, announce their candidacy with inconsistent discourses that do not match the facts in any way. Some of them both say that they are not candidates and try to criticize without even knowing where the union they are trying to talk about is. Our problem is to eat grapes, others can deal with the winegrower. But we look to the future. Just like we said the day we first took office, 'we will come'.

Hikmet Tanrıverdi added that 2,600 exporters will vote in the General Assembly of İHKİB.