19-21 August 2026, Istanbul Expo Center
Proving it's more than just a trade fair, IFCO inspired all sectors with its trend area. This area, where the trends for the coming season were determined, was prepared by the Istanbul Fashion Academy.
The Istanbul Fashion Academy, a leading fashion education platform for today and the future, continues its work at the very heart of the fashion and ready-to-wear industry, blending design, trends, and creativity. As a fashion center that follows, announces, and implements current developments first, IMA has designed the IFCO Trend Area for the past three seasons, and has undertaken this task for the fourth season as well.
At the fair, the Spring/Summer 2025 trends were presented to the industry under the main theme of "Antidote." Visitors touring the Trend Area discovered the prominent color codes, forms, textures, fibers, materials, and accessories of summer 2025, while also seeing pieces from the New Gen collection of young, IMA graduate designers.
IMA Trend Analyst, Creative Consultant
Melis Karapança Örün
“Higher Awareness of Trends”
We have four different concepts in the trend area for the Spring-Summer 2025 period. Our first concept is based on sustainability. Since sustainability is no longer a trend but a lifestyle, this necessity is reflected in the materials. Here, there are regulations regarding raw materials. We looked at how we can benefit from a fruit, vegetable, or plant in its natural process. Even a moldy organic product can support us in terms of material. We turned to bioplastics in accessories. For example, we prepared recycled products from used PET bottles.
Each of the four different themes has its own color palette. In the natural theme, green and brown tones dominate. However, there are transitional colors in very light tones, such as a moss green mix. While the nostalgic theme features vibrant pink, purple, and green colors, the youthful theme is dominated by slightly more vibrant pastels, mint, light pink, and baby pink. On the other hand, it is supported by completely opposite colors. In an ethnically diverse world, cultural shifts in the Ready-to-Wear sector are being brought to the city due to migrations. Ethnic, non-synthetic, raw linen and silk fabrics are being transformed into clothing.
In fashion's trend-setting power, the first element determining the trend is the material. We need to look at what's being worked on in the raw materials of home textiles or furniture first. The fabric trend emerges before clothing and decoration. As long as we can closely follow the prevailing materials, we can capture that interaction well. The Ready-to-Wear sector isn't the only one drawing inspiration from trends. For example, a fabric manufacturer can be inspired by a texture. An interior designer can also be inspired by the trends here. This inspiration also applies to the textile group. We receive feedback like, "We can also use this idea in an object, bag, or accessory."
Compared to the previous fair, visitors had a higher awareness of the trend area because they were used to it. We received very positive comments. The fact that an institution in Turkey is preparing this area has allowed us to receive particularly good feedback from the textile sector and designers.
