“Who knows what kind of environment you will find?” is one of the most common phrases said to people leaving for post-earthquake Turkey, even if flying to Istanbul means staying hundreds and hundreds of kilometers away from the epicenter and the Syrian border.

In reality, the appearance is that of a city and nation identical to those seen at other fairs: frenetic activity, traffic above the limit of tolerance for those who do not like to stand in line, tourists arriving at the new, ultra-modern airport ready for the tour straddling Europe and Asia.

And Texhbition, now in its third edizione, does not escape this picture of appearance either: queues at the entrance even before opening, colors and lights in the three halls occupied by the show, smiling faces and extreme politeness on everyone’s part. In this case, however, appearance may not be deceiving but certainly hides the pain of the tragedy that struck Turkey and Syria.

In fact, 30 percent of the Turkish textile supply chain companies are based in the region hit by the earthquake, and already at Première Vision many Turks had decided to return home in the aftermath of the tremors and destruction; a month later, the fear has certainly not gone away, plus there is the awareness of the numbers of victims, which clash with those of the Turkish textile industry, which of the $13 billion in production value sees $3.5 billion coming from the Gaziantep area.

“International companies are now buying not only out of business necessity but also to give material support to these companies,” they tell at Texhibition, and the solidarity race is also made up of donations, money and materials for everyday life. The share of textiles that are missing and will be missing in the coming months or years due to the destroyed companies will be covered by imports from China, Hong Kong and India.

Cold numbers that find a contour of sorrow and great pride in the booth of one of the fifty or so companies damaged but still present at the fair, Iskur: “The owner lost his entire family and was saved only because he was in Istanbul,” says young marketing manager Leyli Rozyyeva with obvious emotion, “and 32 colleagues also died in the earthquake. One of our plants, the yarn plant, collapsed and burned down, and we will have to rebuild it with work that will take six months to a year. Customers have shown us solidarity by increasing orders and sending us materials, and they are doing it not so much as a matter of money as a show of closeness.”

The company, which is also one of the leading companies in Turkey in the denim sector, is also at the fair to give a signal, which seems to have been picked up by Texhibition buyers and visitors, who were present in good numbers on the opening day.