Turkish Clothing Manufacturers Association (TCMA) has urged global brands to act in unity with their strategic partners, garment manufacturers, to get through tough times.

In the face of COVID-19, emerging threats to the global economy raise concerns for the ready-made garment industry in Turkey. This industry has sustained the retail operations of global brands for the past century by offering garments with the highest quality, paired with innovative collections and the fastest delivery. When governments declared lockdown for societies due to health and safety reasons, global brands' reaction was to close down retail stores all around the world due to the sudden decline in sales. As a result of losses in sales, volume and revenue, brands then turned to their suppliers with a number of defensive measures which have severely harmed the garment manufacturing industry employing over 1.5 million people in Turkey.

According to the hundreds of messages expressing concerns and complaints directed at “TGSD Coronavirus Help Desk” over the past four weeks, suppliers have drawn attention to some of these alarming actions taken by global brands and retailers:

A large number of brands declared to the manufacturers that there will be no future orders until further notice. This will oblige manufacturers to cover labor and overhead costs on their own for an indeterminate period of time. Some brands called for the suspension of production in the pipeline and yet in some rare cases, solicited discounts or cancellations for goods are in the pipeline.

Lastly, some brands request an extension on the payment terms for shipped goods that are on their way to distribution centers or already in the stores.