Sportswear and Activewear Manufacturers in Turkey

Sportswear is the category of companies that make performance and active clothing such as leggings, sports bras, jerseys, shorts and training T-shirts; team uniforms and seamless leggings are also in this category. Cotton or blended tracksuits and sweatpants for everyday wear are in the tracksuits category. For sports socks, see socks and hosiery; for swimwear and beachwear, see swimwear and beachwear. Sportswear is usually made from synthetic knit fabric with spandex (elastane), which sets fabric, seam and print choices apart from ordinary knit apparel. According to İHKİB, the Istanbul apparel exporters' association, sportswear exports were about US$235 million in January-September 2026, against about US$250 million in the same period a year earlier (İHKİB, October 2026, in Turkish). That is export value; production volume is not shown. İHKİB's separate sportswear export report (in Turkish) defines the group as sports, ski and swim clothing (HS headings 6112 and 6211), so the figure may include swimwear and be broader than this category.

Ask a sportswear manufacturer about seams, printing and personalization

• Seams: On stretch fabric the seam has to stretch with the fabric. Does the company have machines that can sew coverstitch and flatseam? (See our sewing machine guide.)
• Fabric performance: Ask for reports on color fastness to perspiration and on stretch recovery after washing, and have the fabric supplier written in.
• Printing: On team uniforms the design can be printed by methods such as sublimation (printing techniques). Does the company print itself, or send the work to a textile printing company? Ask about the print set-up fee and about approval of the print sample.
• Pattern and fit: On body-fitting products the pattern and the fit sample are decisive. Make it a condition that the sample is tried in motion (squatting, raising the arms).
• Personalization: Name and number variants create an order structure different from a per-style minimum. Set-up and per-variant charges should be written as separate lines.

Choosing fabric for sportswear

In sportswear the fiber composition and structure of the fabric decide how the product performs. The spandex share affects stretch and recovery (spandex). The same fabric name can be sold with different weights and compositions, so describe the fabric by composition, GSM and test results rather than by name. Properties such as pilling and perspiration fastness should be written into the specification together with the test method.

In sportswear, technical fabric, print area and sewing operations drive the price

The cost of technical fabric, the area covered by print, the number of sewing operations (flatseam, appliqué, taping), trims such as reflective tape or silicone, personalization and quantity set the price. For the same style, fabric and print are often separate items from sewing, so ask for separate lines in the quote.

In sportswear, test the fabric first and approve the print separately

If a performance property is part of your sales promise, have the fabric sample tested first, then move on to production of the style. At sample approval, check measurements before and after washing. Write your quality control plan into the contract, and make print quality (color shade, adhesion, wash durability) a separate approval item.

Where is sportswear made in Turkey?

In the Industry Database of TOBB, the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, 491 of the 886 firms with a valid capacity report for woven (not knitted) “other garments, not elsewhere classified” (product code 14.19.22; including vests, tracksuits, running wear, sports T-shirts and shorts) are in Istanbul (October 2026). The code excludes knitted products but includes non-sports garments such as vests; since much sportswear is knitted, the count does not represent the whole sector. The figures reflect only manufacturers that hold a valid capacity report; verify on the company profile where each maker actually produces.