The Woolmark Company yesterday brought together Mr Jonathan Akeroyd, President and CEO for Alexander McQueen and famed fashion journalist Colin McDowell to discuss the increasing demand for textile innovation and luxury natural fibres such as Merino wool at the Fashion Apparel Conference in Istanbul.

The Fashion Apparel Conference is an annual event, this is the sixth conference hosted by the Turkish Clothing Manufacturers Association (TGSD). The conference began with a reception on the 8th of May, opened by His Excellency Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Over the course of the day on May 9th, over 800 people heard about a wide range of topics from the economic landscape for manufacturers and brands/retailers, to new product innovations, trend forecasting and beyond.

"The past two days have made me aware of just how big a component wool is within our collections, and that there is great benefit in communicating the way we innovate with textiles and luxury fibres such as wool for the business. It’s not only the quality of the garment make but also what it is made out of that makes a point of difference for a brand.

"We already use Turkey as a resource for manufacturing, but there is definitely more scope and expertise here that we as a business can tap into. It has been interesting to see how seriously the fashion and textile industry is taken here, and I am interested in how we can explore this further in the future," said Akeroyd.

The Woolmark Company believes in the future for Turkey and has recently opened a new office in the region lead by Mahmut Kocak.