#Associations

2021-05-27

Cem Altan to be new President International Apparel Federation (IAF)

On May 19 2021, the General Assembly of IAF members unanimously chose Cem Altan to become the next President of the International Apparel Federation. During the 36th IAF Convention, to be held November 6 to 9, 2021 in Antwerp, Belgium, the current IAF President Han Bekke will hand over the IAF presidency to Cem Altan after a tenure of 4 years extended by an additional year due to the COVID pandemic. Mr. Bekke will remain on the IAF Executive Committee as immediate past president.

Cem Altan is founder of Aycem Textiles and he is member of the Board of Directors of both the Istanbul Apparel Exporters Association (IHKIB) and of the Turkish Clothing Manufacturers Association (TCMA). In the boards of both associations, he is tasked with international affairs and therefore he has a strong experience in industry representation on an international level. Mr. Altan has been a member of the IAF Board of Directors since 2014. Additionally, he is head of Istanbul Fashion Week and Koza Young Designers. He holds a textile technology degree from Nottingham Trent University in the UK. He is a manufacturer with a strong association experience and a truly global outlook.

IAF chooses a new President after one or two tenures of two years from among the ranks of its Board of Directors. IAF is a global federation that represents, often through their industry associations, the interests of apparel companies in different stages of the supply chain, including brands, retailers and manufacturers. The IAF presidency reflects this diversity. Mr. Bekke is also President of MODINT, the Dutch apparel and textile industry association representing mostly brands. Now, the new President carries the manufacturing segment into the IAF presidency.

Following the decision by the IAF General Assembly, Mr. Bekke remarked that he is “delighted that Cem will take over the leadership of IAF and that [Cem Altan] has great support in our membership. With his longstanding experience in our supply chain, I am confident that the future of IAF is in good hands with him” according to Mr. Bekke.

Mr. Altan remarks that: “It is going to be a challenging two years for me taking over the presidency from Mr. Han Bekke who has led IAF for five years. Especially under COVID circumstances it was difficult for all of our sector to tackle many problems. Under the leadership of Han, we have worked hard to carry the garment industry to a cleaner, greener and more digitalized level. I will take this leadership from where Han left, carrying it further ahead. My new position requires lots of responsibilities, hard work, vision and cooperation.”

IAF Position on tariffs

The International Apparel Federation (IAF) represents the apparel manufacturing community across more than 40 countries—a global industry comprising hundreds of thousands of companies and millions of employees. Apparel and textiles are among the most globalized industries, historically foundational to industrial development around the world.

IAF and ITMF unite global fashion and textile leaders

The joint ITMF Annual Conference and IAF World Fashion Convention was held on September 8-10 in the historic city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. This year’s convention, co-organized by the International Apparel Federation (IAF) and the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF), and hosted by Uztextileprom, the Uzbekistan Textile and Garment Industry Association, and the Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Uzbekistan highlighted the crucial interdependence of our sectors.

Turkmenistan: Italian textile machinery focuses on high technology and specialization

The Italian textile machinery industry flies to Ashgabat to participate with a large “Made in Italy” delegation at TURKMEN TEXTILE EXPO 2026, the major international showcase taking place from June 4 to 6, 2026. The Italian presence, coordinated by the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) and ACIMIT (the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers), aims to consolidate Italy’s primary technological role in a highly strategic market with interesting prospects.

Young talents honoured – 60 years Walter Reiners Foundation

At the Techtextil trade fair in Frankfurt at the end of April, Peter D. Dornier, chairman of the VDMA’s Walter Reiners Foundation, presented awards to five successful young engineers. Promotion and sustainability awards were presented in the categories of bachelor’s/project theses and diploma/master’s theses. Academic theses are eligible for the sustainability awards if, for example, they develop solutions for resource-efficient products and technologies.

Fifteen years of Autoneum – From spin off to global technology leader

What started as a strategic carve‑out has since become the success story of a global technology leader in acoustic and thermal management solutions for vehicles. Headquartered in Winterthur, Switzerland, Autoneum supplies leading automobile manufacturers worldwide with innovative, lightweight and increasingly sustainable solutions.

Kruger, Canada, orders first nonwovens line for sustainable wipes from ANDRITZ

International technology group ANDRITZ has received an order from newly established Kruger Nonwovens to deliver a complete WetlaceTM hybrid line for the Wayagamack mill in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. With this investment, pulp and paper producer Kruger is preparing to enter the nonwovens market with a new generation of plastic-free, chemical-free materials for sustainable wipes. The line is the first of its kind in Canada and is scheduled to start production in 2028.

Picanol to present its leading weaving technology at ITM 2026

Picanol is pleased to announce it will be participating in ITM 2026 in Istanbul. This is a key event for industry professionals to engage with the Turkish textile industry as well as the extensive international audience attending the fair. During the event, Picanol will present its latest innovations to the visitors in Hall 8, booth 802.