The earthquake that devastated southeast Turkey and Syria triggered an unprecedented human tragedy. Turkey is one of the most important production locations of the global fashion industry and many brands have close ties there.
The production center of fashion brands has largely been spared by the earthquake probably because the production facilities were newly commissioned structures. However, the tragedy did not spare the workforce residing in the earthquake zone. The outlets in larger cities were not affected but workers in these outlets have relatives and dear ones that were living in danger zones and had to rush to help their families.
The entire world stood up in support of the earthquake victim but from the business enterprises, the fashion brands came up with all types of support not only for the victims but also provided all-out support to their workers. Almost every fashion brand provided cash and donated clothing for the earthquake victims. The clothing was handed to the NGOs for distribution to the victims. Initially, comparatively smaller amounts were committed but after seeing the enormity they continued increasing the cash for rehabilitation.
The Spanish fashion group Inditex, which includes Zara, Bershka and Pull&Bear, announced that it had donated three million euros and 500,000 pieces of warm clothing to the Turkish organisation Red Crescent for the humanitarian emergency. Hugo Boss donated 250,000 euros via the HBFundation to support local reconstruction. The company is also providing practical help by supplying winter clothing and blankets, the company said.
The H&M Group donated 100,000 US dollars to the Turkish Civil Protection Agency AFAD. There will also be 500,000 dollars paid, split by the H&M Foundation between the Red Cross/Red Crescent and Save the Children to support their work in the region. The H&M Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Swedish fashion giant. The sporting goods manufacturer Adidas and its workforce are collecting donations for the earthquake victims and have announced that the company will double the donations made by the workforce.
The Danish Bestseller group, which includes Jack & Jones, Only, and Vero Moda, will supply clothing and other relief supplies to the crisis region. This includes more than 10,000 jackets, living containers and everyday necessities. Further help is to be implemented probably on a regular basis. The OTB Foundation – the non-profit organisation of the OTB Group, which includes the brands Diesel, Maison Margiela, Marni, Viktor & Rolf, Jil Sander, Amiri and the companies Staff International and Brave Kid, is calling for donations via its website on. The foundation has been active since 2008 and supports hundreds of social development projects around the world, with the new addition being earthquake relief in Turkey.
The UK’s Boohoo Group has donated 100,000 pounds to the Turkish Red Crescent and has also held four sample sales, 100 percent of the proceeds of which have been donated. In addition, 100 boxes with warm clothing are said to be on their way to the crisis region. The Spanish fashion chain Mango donated three million Turkish lire (around 150,000 euros) to the Turkish Red Crescent. The company also donated clothing that was transported to the affected region.
British fashion retailer Marks & Spencer donated 50,000 pounds to the British Red Cross, which is working on-site. The dealer is also helping out with warm clothing, which is to be distributed locally via the franchise partners. Amazon dispatched the first truckload of relief supplies from its center at Istanbul. Goods donated included heaters and blankets. The goods were sent to the city of Hatay, one of the most affected regions. In addition, Amazon has set up a donation page on the Amazon Turkey website.
The Ikea Foundation donated ten million euros to the emergency aid fund of Doctors Without Borders. The focus of the committee is medical and psychological help to support the people affected by the earthquake. Without naming an amount, the luxury group Kering also said it wanted to donate to the crisis region and the people affected. Kering and all its houses (Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Brioni, Boucheron, Pomellato, Dodo, Qeelin, and Kering Eyewear) want to make a joint donation to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the website of the group said.
Meanwhile, the garment factories in the cities of Malatya, Elazıg and Sanliurfa are running again and the impact on textile mills in Kahramanmaras and Adiyaman is now ‘minor’, according to the Turkish Clothing Manufacturers Association. Infrastructure in industrial zones was generally less impacted by this month’s earthquakes than in residential areas and most plants are in relatively good condition, according to a statement released this week from Cem Altan, president of the International Apparel Federation (IAF) and vice-chair of the Turkish Clothing Manufacturers Association (TGSD). On February 6, two major earthquakes shook southeast Turkey and northern Syria, resulting in more than 47,000 deaths across both countries, according to Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.
“We are working with our members and stakeholders to identify and fulfil actual needs in the region,” Altan said. ”Short-term production cuts are inevitable, however, all stakeholders are working together to restart plants for social reasons as well as economic reasons.” Altan added that Turkey’s textile and garment industries will use extra capacity built in 2021 and 2022 in the short term. For example, the country boosted yarn and fabric production capacity by 25 percent last year thanks to new investments. Consequently, capacity lost in areas affected by the earthquakes is being replaced by capacity in other cities outside the affected zone, such as Bursa, Istanbul, Tekirdag, and Denizli.
The Turkish government has started to supply water, electricity and natural gas to some affected cities and airports have resumed operations. Temporary communities made of containers are being built around industrial zones to deter labour migration. The epicentre of the first earthquake was near Gaziantep, a Turkish city of more than two million people in the country’s Southeastern Anatolia Region. Though the Turkish fashion industry is mostly clustered elsewhere, including Istanbul and Ankara where major companies are based and garment and textile manufacturers located in Bursa, Izmir and Denizli provinces, Gaziantep and other affected provinces in neighbouring regions are also significant for the sector.
According to a report by consulting firm Ikada, the origin of most Turkish textile exports in 2017 was Istanbul province but badly hit Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras provinces are secondary hubs for the industry while the nearby provinces of Adana and Kayseri also have a significant manufacturing footprint. As part of their nearshoring efforts, global brands have shifted more of their sourcing and production to countries like Turkey in recent years. H&M Group and Zara owner Index were among the many fashion brands to contribute to the humanitarian crisis in the country earlier this month.
Turkey’s textile industry exported $16.2 billion in 2021 and was the fifth largest supplier in the world, while the apparel industry exported $18.3 billion and was the fourth largest in the world.
Meanwhile, fashion brand Decathlon’s first priority was to ensure that its 2,400 employees in Turkey “were safe and sound and to give them all the support they needed. Three of our 42 shops in the country have been seriously impacted by this disaster.” Decathlon employees in Turkey collected and sent materials to the affected areas, including warm clothing and winter equipment, amounting to one million euros. In addition, Decathlon says it has set up a €1 million solidarity fund managed by the King Baudouin Foundation to support NGOs in the area…
H&M works with a hundred or so Turkish manufacturers has also donated warm clothing and decided to provide financial aid of 930,000 euros to AFAD, while the H&M Foundation has given 468,000 euros to the Red Crescent and Save the Children associations. The Scandinavian group has also ensured the safety of its teams, as has… Mango, which says that only one of its 1,300 Turkish employees is in hospital…Mango’s “social action” department has started “sending clothes to the various areas affected by the earthquakes”, and donated 150,000 euros to the Red Crescent.
Finally, the Italian group OTB, owner of brands such as Diesel and Marni, says it is providing support through the OTB Foundation, which has already been supporting the UNHCR (United Nations refugee agency) for several years.
Fashion brands show their humane side after the earthquake in Turkey
