A global drop in demand for leather jackets, coats and other garments has led to the closure of a number of the specialist garment-leather tanneries in the Usak leather cluster in Turkey.

Specialist producers of sheepskin nappa for garment production dominate the Usak cluster, which is around 220 kilometres east of Izmir. In the course of 2024, however, a number of these facilities have closed owing to the lack of demand for the material.

Sources in Turkey have said few operators are optimistic about an upturn in fortunes in 2025. They have pointed to changes in the climate and to an increase in the use of synthetics among garment manufacturers as the main reasons.

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