Shoe Fashion and Saddlery Fair held in Antalya opened its doors for the 10th time with the participation of nearly 100 Turkish shoe manufacturers as well as foreign visitors from four continents.
Nearly 100 Turkish shoe manufacturers, as well as professional buyers from four continents, mainly from the Balkans and European countries, attended the fair held in Belek Tourism Center.
Handmade specially designed shoes covered with special stones, produced by a shoe manufacturer from Mardin in a month, were also exhibited at the fair. Visitors examined the shoes worth ₺140 thousand and took pictures.
It is reported that the shoe, which is the center of attention, will also be exhibited in fairs abroad with the label “Made in Turkey”.
CLOSE TO A THOUSAND VISITORS FROM 40 COUNTRIES
Eksposhoes top manager Erkan Demir told reporters that nearly a thousand foreign visitors from 40 countries participated in the fair, and that their only goal was to export.
Emphasizing that men’s and women’s shoes were exhibited at the fair, Demir stated that the wholesale prices of the shoes started from $15 and went up to $80.
Pointing to the importance of the shoes exhibited in the special showcase at the fair, Demir said, “It was made to show the success of the Turkish shoe industry in production, and it is decorated with special stones. We use it for the promotion of the Turkish brand in fairs abroad.”
Stating that the shoe industry also exports during the epidemic process, Demir said, “Although it is a boutique fair, it has a significant share in Turkey’s exports. Here, nearly a thousand visitors from 40 countries make a serious purchase. Here, the added value of this fair to the Turkish economy will be around $30-35 million.”
“TOOK A MONTH TO MAKE”
Ilhami Yildiz, the manager of the company that participated in the fair with special shoes worth ₺140 thousand, said that the value of the shoes in question cannot be measured with money.
Explaining that the specially designed shoes they produced in previous years were bought by foreign collectors, Yildiz said, “This year, we are exhibiting a shoe that is completely covered with special stones and takes about a month to make.”
The fair will end on June 4th.
Source: NTV / Translated by Irem Yildiz