Industry Events
IAF Extends Cem Altan’s Term as President
The 38th World Fashion Convention organized by the International Apparel Federation (IAF) and the Sewn Products Equipment & Suppliers of the Americas (SPESA) in Philadelphia was officially held on Monday-Tuesday, October 23-24. The IAF General Assembly unanimously accepted the IAF’s Board of Directors proposal to extend the current IAF President’s Cem Altan term with an additional two years.
Mr. Altan is a garment manufacturer (Chief Executive Officer of Cenka Tekstil, Esenyurt/Istanbul, Turkey) and is representing the Istanbul Apparel Exporters Association (IHKIB) in the IAF. His term extension reflects the IAF’s strong focus on uniting apparel manufacturers globally and defending their interests.
In his opening speech, he referred to IAF’s mission to enable and promote stronger, smarter, and more sustainable supply chains. He noted that the industry’s needed transition is moving too slowly. A major reason for this is that even though manufacturers often have the tools in hand to make the necessary environmental, social, and financial improvements, they are mostly not sufficiently enabled in the current supply chain- financially or organizationally to use these tools.
He called on the industry to maintain a positive path forward, staying away from the low-value trap, and collaborating across the supply chain using technology and process innovation to create more value.
During the two-day conference, a broad range of speakers on topics ranging from digitalization, data technology, legislation, sourcing strategy, sustainability, and transparency shed their light on industry transition. An equally broad range of sponsors, representing available solutions for our industry’s transition, made this convention possible.
About IAFThe International Apparel Federation (IAF) is the world’s leading federation for apparel manufacturers, (SME) brands, their associations, and the supporting industry. IAF’s membership now includes apparel associations and companies from more than 40 countries, a membership that directly and indirectly represents over a hundred thousand companies and over 20 million employees. IAF brings its members together to jointly create stronger, smarter, and more sustainable supply chains, it provides its members with valuable information and guidance and it represents its members on several international platforms working incessantly on more industry standardization and harmonization, industry collaboration, and inclusiveness of solutions.