Leather Sector
The startup of the leather sector in Zeytinburnu goes back to the years following the conquest of Istanbul, the era of Mehmed II The Conqueror.
Zeytinburnu that saved itself from being the place where raw skinn was treated as the facilities in Kazlicesme, which was known as the heart of leather works in Turkey, moved to Tuzla in 1990, turned into be a center where treated leather is sold.
Around Zubeyde Hanim Avenue in the quarter of Kazlicesme are about 650 sales centers and sewing workshops. Zeytinburnu, presently, enjoys the position of being the greatest leather market of the world where every type of leather treated abroad is submitted for sale.
There are about 1000 companies in Turkish leather ready-to-wear sector, which is capable of following and applying the global trends and proved itself. The annual production is 10 million items and 95 % is exported. The leather ready-to-wear manufactures with high added values such as fur-suet, zig, duffle-coat, jacket, coat, skirts and trousers has the biggest share in leather sector exportations with 55 %.
The leather shoes that form 50 % of the export in the leather sector stand as an important income item.
The leather sector enjoyed its golden age at the end of 1980s, as the Iron Curtain collapsed. People coming from primarily Russia, the most leather-consuming society in the world, fro other neighboring countries ensured Turkey to have a significant earning from the leather sector, until the Russian Crisis of 1998. Turkish leather sector, the exportation volume of which broadened after the crisis, got in the process of pulling itself together again, and obtained a positive acceleration as the leather became fashionable in the year 2001.
Turkish leather industry, which occupies more than 10 % of aggregate manufacturing industry, stands as the 10th greatest industry among all the industrial sectors, with its share of 1.52 % within the aggregate employment. In the perspective f formal exportation, it is the second most foreign exchange bringing sector, with a 3 per cent share within total exportation, after textile.
Within the year 2003, "Department of Leather Ready-To-Wear" was established within the body of IMKB Zeytinburnu Professional Crafts High School and the young people in the county were provided with a chance of education in order to ensure labor.
