Globalization and the Changing Clothing Industry in Turkey

Abstract

In this paper, I explore the manner in which, since the 1980s, some Turkish domestic firms in the clothing industry have found ways of connecting themselves to the global webs of manufacturing, distribution, and retailing of garments. I call attention to two related developments that have occurred during the process. First, a number of manufacturing firms have acquired enough autonomy to develop and exercise their own strategies, have upgraded their operations, and, as original brand-name manufacturers, have evolved into global competitors. Second, some large domestic manufacturers have experienced a cautious and gradual transformation from industrial capital to commercial and financial capital. The findings show the necessity of seeing firms as intentional agents of change with some autonomy of their own as well as the importance of maintaining a structural understanding of power relations in the networked relationships of the global economy.