Commercial hub Istanbul to host ‘halal’ conventions

Istanbul is preparing to host two large "halal” conventions in a row, as well as a series of smaller ones, as the Islamic world’s interest in Turkey expands beyond trade and tourism.

Halal is commonly considered to be a food code, but the Tesettür Fair, an international modest clothing event kicks off Sept. 13, with the Iran Halal Research Council as a media sponsor.

Turkey’s innovative modest clothing sector shines with an increasing potential to export goods to the Middle East and Muslim-majority countries, organizers said in a written statement. The event will match buyers and sellers from a dozen countries from the region.

The unrest in the Middle East has affected the market negatively, but Turkey’s position is still good, a fair organizer said in a phone interview yesterday. "Syria’s was also good, but no goods come out of there now because of the turmoil. Turkey is replacing it.”

Shukr Clothing, one of the global trendsetters in Islamic dress, is among the guests attending the fair, as well as Iranian designer Soheil Abbasi.

The Iranian state will have a separate pavilion at the event, in a bid to promote the country.
"Considering that there are around 1.5 billion Muslims in the world, one can see the volume of the market,” said organizer Demos Fuarcilik’s general manager, Hüseyin Aslan.
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