TGSD Milestones

TGSD was established by Vitali Hakko, Nuri Güven, Galip Önöz, Necati İhsan Çakuş, Arslan Araf, Mehmet Atakan and Selahattin Akdoğan in May 1976 under the name of "Apparel Manufacturers' Association".

Our Presidents

NURİ GÜVEN    •   1976-1979

The first president of the Association is one of the founding members of TGSD. During his term, the sector participated in a foreign fair for the first time to open the doors of the Turkish apparel industry to foreign markets, This step will be followed by Cologne and Munich Fairs in the following years. The first Fashion Show organized by the Association on behalf of the sector was also held during this period.

GALİP ÖNÖZ    •   1979-1981

During the period of the second president, the association took the name "Clothing Manufacturers’ Association". A report drawing attention to the problems of the industry was prepared and efforts were initiated to establish vocational high schools on apparel for the first time.

TURGUT ÖZDEŞ     •   1981-1984

Members started to take a more active part in international fairs and established new goals with their ability to determine both production and fashion. As the fruit of this motivation, the first Istanbul Fashion Week was organized during President Özdeş's term. He invited unions and chambers to act together in order to increase the competitiveness of the Turkish apparel sector in international markets, and to ensure that the appropriate incentives needed by the industry are given on time.

SELAHATTİN AKDOĞAN     •   1984-1985

TGSD members had accumulated strong know-how by those years and they aimed at delivering this capability to new markets. During the presidency of Mr Akdoğan an exhibition had been organized for foreign brands in Istanbul, the first event of its kind. Following the exhibition, Turkish manufacturers participated to Pret-a-Porter Fair in New York and therefore, the first steps were taken to enter the US market.

TURGUT YILMAZ     •   1985-1987

During the term of Turgut Yılmaz, the Association added the phrase "Türkiye" to its name with the decision of the Council of Ministers in 1985, and began to be known as the "Turkish Clothing Manufacturers’ Association". TGSD gained the authority to represent the Turkish clothing industry. During this period, the 10th anniversary of the Association was celebrated with a stylish ball.

VEDAT OLCAY     •   1987-1988

Under the Presidency of Mr Olcay, TGSD became a member of the "International Apperal Federation" in 1987 in order to represent the Turkish apparel industry abroad for the first time. This membership has been an important initiative for TGSD and its members in terms of world-class quality production, international collaborations and market expansion efforts.

OSMAN BENZEŞ     •   1988-1990

A strong believer in the value of design in apparel manufacturing, President Benzeş contributed to the training of many designers. He also started organizing textile design seminars together with Mimar Sinan University, Fine Arts Faculty. The participation of TGSD members to foreign fairs increased and collaborations with global brands were established.

HASAN ARAT     •   1990-1992

As production increased, Textile and Apparel Free Zone was opened during the presidency of Mr Arat. In his term, US textile and apparel quotas increased by 100%. TGSD also hosted a board meeting of the IAF in Istanbul. Later in 1996, Mr Arat became the President of the IAF, and the annual congress of the IAF was held in Istanbul for the first time.

ALİ MAHMUT ABRA     •   1992-1994

During Mr Abra's presidency, a decision was taken to become a member of European Clothing Manufacturers Association (ECLA) in order to strengthen and increase the international representation of the Association. Under his presidency, TGSD was selected as the most successful association of the year of its sector by Dünya Newspaper in 1992.

NUR GER     •   1994-1996

The first woman president in the history of the association, Ms Ger called on the parliamentarians of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and empowered the manufacturers with the "I am working for Türkiye" campaign and shed light on the sector with a common goal. The anthem "We are Working for Türkiye" whose melody and lyrics are still remembered, was composed by Ali Mahmut Abra, the former president. During Ms Ger's presidency, important studies were carried out for the process of Türkiye's entry into the European Common Market. Especially intra-industry synergy meetings made significant contributions to the Turkish apparel industry creating a common vision in this entry process. The first Fashion Fair of the sector was also organized during her presidency.

TURAN SARIGÜLLE     •   1996-1998

During the presidency of Mr Sarıgülle, apparel manufacturers in Anatolia were visited in accordance with its mission on inclusivity. The problems of the manufacturers are listened to and common solutions were brought. TGSD became a full member of the European Apparel and Textile Confederation (EURATEX, formerly ECLA) in 1997. TGSD acquired its own office at President Sarıgülle's term.

İSMET ÖZCAN     •   1998-1999

The 75th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye coincided with President Özcan's term. As part of the celebrations, the campaign called "Republic Suits Türkiye" and the campaign's fashion show made a big splash. In the same period, the meeting of "Intercolor" which is the international color authority, was held in Istanbul for the first time. TGSD published a book entitled “Embracing Anatolia” during the term of President Özcan. Having foreseen the footsteps of the 2001 crisis, President Özcan invited the sector to take precautions against the upcoming crisis. He also explained TGSD members and the public the impact of the WTO decisions on the sector that would come into force in 2005.

BÜLENT ATUK     •   1999-2000

In the first year of Bülent Atuk's presidency, a big earthquake devastating the eastern Marmara region occurred. TGSD members provided intense support to the National Aid Campaign. This support resulted in gaining the status of a Public Benefit Association based on a decision by the Council of Ministers. Many social responsibility projects were undertaken during President Atuk's term. President Bülent Atuk also strengthened the relations between the financial sector and the apparel industry. The first issue of TGSD Magazine entitled “Message” was published in January 2000 and has been the voice of the sector for many years.

AHMET GÜNGÖR KEŞCİ     •   2000-2002

The April Syndrome Campaign, which aims to prevent the increase in production costs, was launched during the presidency of President Keşçi. The campaign, carried out with patience and persistence, was carried out by the next President Umut Oran. President Keşci gave great importance to communication with the bureaucracy. Consequently, regular visits to Ankara were made together with other industry associations. China and Bulgaria were visited and examined as emerging competitors in the global apparel market. The first “Happy Hour” event was initiated during the term of President Keşci in order to bring TGSD members and other stakeholders of the sector together in a social gathering

UMUT ORAN     •   2002-2004

During President Oran's term, the Turkish Clothing Manufacturers’ Association gained the Status of "Public Benefit Association" by the Decision of the Council of Ministers in 2003. President Oran initiated the "Investment and Employment Promotion Project in Anatolia". The slogan of the campaign was "On-Site Jobs, Food, Peace in Anatolia". Large efforts were made for Anatolia's active participation in national and international apparel business. In the same period, HORIZON 2010 study was published with the aim of shedding light on the future of the sector.
This study was renewed in the following years as HORIZON 2015 and HORIZON 2030 projects. President Oran was appointed as the IAF president in 2002 and IAF's annual congress was held in Istanbul in the following year.

AYNUR BEKTAŞ     •   2005-2006

Aynur Bektaş is the second woman president of TGSD. During her term, great importance was given to employment and development projects, especially for women. TGSD participated into the platform of the Federation of Sectoral Associations (SEDEFED). TGSD's celebrated its 30th anniversary during President Bektaş.

AHMET NAKKAŞ     •   2007-2010

The renewed “HORIZON 2015" study was published during President Nakkaş period. With its visionary structure, this publication has been the basis for sectoral road map studies of the Undersecretariat of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Economy. During this period, the "Istanbul Fashion Conference" was held for the first time. The conference, where industry leaders from all over the world attend as speakers, would grow over the years and would become one of the respectful international events of the sector. With bilateral business meetings held on the second day of the conference, new collaborations were established between TGSD members and foreign buyers. The second and third conferences also took place during his term.

CEM NEGRİN     •   2010-2015

The 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Istanbul Fashion Conference were held during President Negrin term. He regularly shared the Apparel Index Report with members and the public every month on Bloomberg TV. In the same period, a mutual goodwill agreement was signed with the British-Turkish Chamber of Commerce. Consequently, a delegation was taken to London for the first B2B Bilateral Business Meeting. During his presidency, the number of members of the Association increased by 30 percent.

ŞEREF FAYAT     •   2015-2017

The 8th, 9th and the 10th Istanbul Fashion Conference were organized under the Presidency of Mr Fayat. The 8th Conference was held simultaneously with the 31st IAF Congress in Istanbul. Thus, Istanbul has hosted the international IAF congress for the 3rd time. The HORIZON 2030 book was published during the term of President Fayat in order to provide guidance for the future. Also during this period, a Qualified Producer Certificate, which would make a great contribution to both the manufacturer and the state, was presented to the Turkish Government. During President Fayat's term, TGSD's corporate identity was reviewed. It was publicly stated that the industry should improve itself in terms of sustainability and digitalization. TGSD continued being opinion leader to its members and kept working to maintain business volume and export figures with great determination. President Fayat still leads the Apparel and Ready-to-Wear Industry Council as part of The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB).

HADİ KARASU    •   2018 – 2020

Under the presidency of Mr Karasu, the 11th, 12th and the 13th Istanbul Apparel Conference were held. The 12th Conference took place in Istanbul simultaneously with the EURATEX Congress. The 13th Istanbul Apparel Conference was moved to the digital platform for the first time and reached 6 million views and 150 thousand viewers. Very important steps are taken in this period emphasizing the importance of sustainability and digital transformation. During the global Covid-19 pandemic, 6.5 million masks were produced with the participation of our volunteer members and donated to our State. President Karasu assumed the role of EURATEX Vice President in July 2020 on behalf of the Turkish Delegation represented at EURATEX. The Sustainable Fashion Industry Valley project was prepared and presented to the Presidency. During the term of President Karasu, TGSD members began to take active roles in EURATEX working groups fort he first time. TGSD Youth Platform and TGSD Development Academy were also established during his term.