Uzbekistan courts Turkish apparel giants in four-day sourcing push

A delegation from Uzbekistan's light industry agency met twelve Turkish apparel, textile and footwear companies in four days, from November 1 to 4. Rukhillo Zikrillaev, Deputy Director of the Agency for the Development of Light Industry under the Cabinet of Ministers, led the working visit, Dunyo IA reported.

The commercial pitch was direct. Uzbekistan wants Turkish buyers to move cut-and-make capacity into the country, source from local factories, and export finished garments out of Uzbekistan rather than raw fibre. That is a tier-two and tier-three play. It targets the fabric, trim and component layers that Turkish garment exporters currently source closer to home.

Who sat at the table?

The delegation held talks with a heavy slate of Turkish retail and manufacturing names:

• LC Waikiki, DeFacto, Koton, Mavi and AVVA — high-volume apparel retailers with large sourcing programmes
• adL (Adil Işık Group) and Damat Tween (Orka Holding)
• İslamoğlu Tekstil, a fabric producer; Fermaş Fermuar, a zipper maker; Seamo; and DoCotton Group

On the association side, the delegation met the Footwear Industrialists Association of Türkiye (TASD), the Turkish Footwear Industry Suppliers Association (AYSAD), the Istanbul Apparel Exporters' Association (İHKİB) and the Turkish Footwear Industry Foundation of Research, Development and Education (TASEV).

The list signals intent. Retailers like LC Waikiki and Koton already source across Asia. Suppliers like Fermaş Fermuar, a zipper manufacturer, sit squarely in the trim and component tier where Uzbekistan has historically been weakest and now claims to want investment.

What did Uzbekistan actually offer?

The delegation presented the standard investment-climate brief: ongoing reforms in the textile, garment and knitwear, and leather and footwear sectors; the country's raw material base; and incentives for domestic and foreign manufacturers.

Talks centred on four stated priorities — localising production in Uzbekistan, expanding industrial cooperation with foreign companies, launching joint projects, and exporting finished products to third markets.

Dunyo IA reported that the pitch "generated significant interest" among Turkish business circles, with company representatives expressing interest in building production capacity in Uzbekistan, forming cooperative ties with local enterprises, and marketing finished goods.

That is the official readout. No memoranda, contracts or order volumes were announced. Interest, in a state-agency communique, is not a commitment.

What does this change for sourcing managers?

For now, little is fixed. No Turkish brand named a factory, a volume or a timeline. The confirmed fact is a diplomatic and promotional visit, reported by a state news agency, not a disclosed buyer-supplier agreement.

The underlying logic is nonetheless concrete. Uzbekistan holds cotton and a low-cost labour base. Türkiye holds design, fabric capability and established export routes into Europe. Turkish brands facing cost pressure in their own supply chains have a stated reason to trial Uzbek cut-and-make capacity. Fermaş Fermuar's presence suggests Tashkent also wants the components chain, not just sewing floors.

Sourcing teams should log three watch items. First, whether any of the twelve companies converts interest into a named joint venture or localisation deal. Second, whether İHKİB, the Istanbul apparel exporters' body, follows with a formal cooperation framework. Third, what the claimed incentives for foreign manufacturers amount to in statute, not in presentation slides.

Until a contract or a traceable compliance standard appears, this remains a courtship. Buyers weighing Uzbekistan will still need to verify labour-practice due diligence and traceability on their own.

The decision the news forces is a screening one: add Uzbek capacity to the audit-ready supplier shortlist now, or wait for the first Turkish name to move first and signal the market.