Textile Exchange stands in wholehearted solidarity with those affected by the two devastating earthquakes that took place in Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The impacts of such an event are endured long after the headlines go quiet. To gain insight into the evolving challenges faced as they rebuild and recuperate, we spoke with Kipa\u015f Textiles, a textile manufacturing company, and TGSD (Turkish Clothing Manufacturers Association), an NGO that supports the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Content warning: this article contains upsetting themes.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBased in Kahramanmara\u015f, Turkey, Kipa\u015f Textiles is home to around 6,500 employees. It has a production capacity of 80 million meters of fabric per year and 330 tons of yarn per day, making it Turkey and Europe\u2019s largest integrated manufacturer of yarn and fabric.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTens of thousands of people were killed when the earthquakes struck. People are leaving the cities and moving to other cities where they have families. We\u2019re getting help from Turkish individuals, companies, NGOs, foreign help and, of course, the government to provide shelter to those who have no homes, but this is a slow process. So we may be unable to pick up the pieces until the end of the year.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOur region is the main manufacturing hub for cotton staple yarn, as well as knitted and woven fabrics, especially denim. After the terrible disaster, all factories were seriously affected and supply was interrupted for a long time.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCurrently our main challenge is having enough labor force to run our factories. The main difficulty behind this problem is there is a very serious housing problem that most people face.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKipa\u015f Textiles has been able to rally together, restarting some of its spinning and weaving facilities to churn out the tent fabrics that are currently in short supply. Our aim was to recover roughly 70 percent of our spinning capacity by the end of March, and as denim production units weren\u2019t seriously affected, to hit full capacity on those lines in April. \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe industry has responded in a very responsible and friendly manner. We have had support from our customers, suppliers, and competitors. We ask the industry to have patience with orders and to not lose trust in our textile manfacturing community.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/section>\n\t\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Magnum Photographer Sabiha \u00c7imen visited the Kipa\u015f Textiles production facilities in Kahramanmara\u015f, Turkey, to capture a series of film images that show the after effects and extent of the damage sustained.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIN CONVERSATION WITH\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h6>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKipa\u015f Textiles\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHow were you affected by the tragic earthquakes across Turkey and Syria?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe south of Turkey is a hub for fashion and textile production. Can you describe what the textile industry is like in your area, before and in the aftermath of the recent events? \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat are your biggest challenges at present?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHow are you starting to rebuild after the damage? What will that journey look like?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\r\nNon-denim is a slightly different story, but the manufacturer is slowly working its way up as well. Of course, a lot hinges on the workers. While Kipa\u015f Textiles is down to 50 percent of its workforce, it\u2019s hopeful that it can coax more to return when more housing is in place.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHow do you feel that the industry can best support you?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/h6>\n\n\n\nPHOTOGRAPHY<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Sabiha \u00c7imen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n