Following the general assembly held at the Ege Hazır Giyim ve Konfeksiyon İhracatçıları Birliği, Çağlar Bağcı was elected as Chairman of the Board. Burak Sertbaş, who served as Chairman between 2018 and 2026, handed over his duties and will continue to take part in the new term as a TIM General Assembly Delegate.
With the new management, the four-year roadmap of the Aegean fashion industry will be shaped around vocational education, marketing, sustainability, design, digitalization, and artificial intelligence. Speaking at the general assembly, Sertbaş shared data on the activities carried out during his term, drawing particular attention to international promotion efforts.
Within the scope of the activities carried out by the union:
· 26 national participation organizations were realized with the participation of 563 companies,
· 3 virtual fairs,
· 4 domestic sectoral fair organizations were held.
It was emphasized that these activities made a significant contribution to increasing the global visibility of companies.
2025: Increasingly Challenging Competitive Conditions
Stating that 2025 was a difficult year for the sector, Sertbaş noted that the contraction in global demand and rising cost pressures negatively affected export performance.
· Exports in 2025 decreased by 8% compared to the previous year, reaching 1.268 billion dollars.
· Export unit price was maintained at 21.19 dollars/kg.
· 1,191 member companies exported to 163 countries.
· The largest markets were Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Italy.
It was also stated that the EIB Fashion Design Contest, one of the union’s long-standing projects, reached its 20th year and has become one of Turkey’s most consistent and strongest fashion platforms. In the field of sustainability, it was noted that the first Sustainability UR-GE project among unions was implemented and the international project network was expanded. A total of 2 national and 11 international project applications were carried out.
“The Ready-to-Wear Sector is a Net Exporter”
New Chairman Çağlar Bağcı emphasized in his speech that the sector maintains its strong structure despite current challenges. Bağcı defined the position of the ready-to-wear sector in the Turkish economy as follows:
· Being a net exporting sector
· Generating high added value
· Having an export unit price approximately 10 times higher than Turkey’s average
It was stated that the sector’s experience, ability to act quickly, and design strength are its most important advantages against crises.
Priority on Education and Transformation in the New Term
One of the main priorities highlighted by Bağcı for the new term is vocational education.
Within this framework:
· Increasing cooperation with vocational high schools and universities,
· Supporting textile engineering departments,
· Developing a qualified workforce are targeted.
In addition, through the committees established, comprehensive efforts will be carried out in the areas of foreign market strategies, access to finance, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and sustainability. It was also noted that 4 female members are included in the newly elected board of directors. While the board consists of experienced professionals from various fields, the supervisory board and TIM delegates have also been redefined.
Çağlar Bağcı: From Engineering to Sector Leadership
Born in Ankara in 1980, Çağlar Bağcı graduated from Bilkent University, Department of Computer Engineering. After completing his MBA at İzmir University of Economics, he began his career at MEBA Giyim and currently continues to serve in the company’s management. Actively involved in sectoral non-governmental organizations, Bağcı previously served as Vice Chairman at EHKİB. He has stood out with his work in the fields of the European Green Deal, digital transformation, and university-industry collaborations.
This management change at EHKİB is considered not only a transfer of duties but also a new direction for the transformation process of the Aegean ready-to-wear sector. In the coming period, the steps that will increase the sector’s competitiveness are expected to be shaped around education, technology, and sustainability.
