More than a month ago, on February 6th, 2023, Turkey, had been severely hit by a huge 7.8 earthquake shake provoking the death of over 50,000 people, mostly in 11 provinces in the South East area of the country.
Despite the difficulties, the country is not standing still, and it has immediately reacted in order to recover and return to become operating. Among others, the global denim specialist Calik Denim, which is based in Malatya, one of the Eastern cities of the country which had been most seriously hit, has immediately reacted in order to support its workers and the local community facing to the overall situation.
Serhat Karaduman, CEO, Calik Denim, told The SPIN OFF about how Calik has started getting back to normality.
As Calik Denim, our integrated production facility, where we carry out all stages from cotton to the final stage of denim fabric production, is in Malatya, one of the Eastern cities of Turkey. Malatya is one of the 11 cities affected by the strong earthquakes that took place on February 6th.
What kind of damage hit these facilities?
After the earthquake risk analysis in the mill we had right after the strong earthquakes, we are pleased to inform that there is no damage in our facility. After this determination, we allocated our mill for the support of the region for the need of shelter and hot meals due to the great destruction experienced by the people of the region.
We also have turned our factory into a temporary support center where we organised the distribution of needs not only within the mill but also to the people of the region. In this process, we work in unity and togetherness with authorized bodies such as the Mayor's Office, Turkish Red Crescent, and AFAD (Turkey Disaster and Management Authority) to expand the network to provide all the aid to Malatya.
Were any workers hurt? What is their current status?
We are deeply saddened by the loss of two precious members of the Calik Denim Family, Hasan Can Kalkan, our Dye Finishing Machine Maintenance Unit employee, and Alper Gürbüz, our Spinning Machines Maintenance Unit employee.
We have a connection system where we can be in contact with all our employees 24 hours a day, and we are constantly monitoring all the process.
The severity and impact of this natural disaster is strong, and our priority is to ensure the health and safety of our employees, and to ensure the continuity of these. Therefore, this was our main focus at the very beginning. Our global business partners also showed us great support and understanding in this period. Now, with the gradual opening, as of 17th February we started shipments and by completing the necessary technical controls, we resumed our innovative and high-quality production as of March 1st.
On the other hand, we will continue our support to meet the needs of both our employees and the people of the region. We believe that we will get through these days in unity and solidarity.
How do you support employees at this moment?
Right from the very first moment of the earthquake, as Calik Group Companies, our search and rescue and earthquake support activities, which we have carried out in cooperation with the authorized public institutions and aid organizations in the disaster area, have continued in order to heal the wounds of the great disaster we have experienced as a country.
The severity and impact of this natural disaster is strong, and our priority is to ensure the health and safety of our employees, and to ensure the continuity of these. Therefore, this is our main focus starting from the very beginning with the activities we previously mentioned.
Have you heard from brands to offer support or assistance?
Our global business partners showed the necessary sensitivity both for our company and our employees and for the whole of Turkey. It is very meaningful that they even ask to make sure we are in good health and safe. We are grateful for this!
Once again, we have seen how big a family in this industry we are in these difficult days. We thank everyone for their support. Together, we will be so much better!
What kind of support or assistance do you need right now from the international community?
We are sure that this information has been reached through many global media channels, but anyone who wants to support this great destruction can deliver their help to the people in the region who are waiting for support through AFAD (Turkey Disaster and Management Authority) and Turkish Red Crescent.
How widespread is the damage to the textile and garment industry? How long do you think the industry will take to recover from this disaster?
In this period, it is very important to show sensitivity and support to all industry stakeholders that have production facilities in the earthquake region. As Calik Denim, we believe that this process will be recovered in a much shorter time with industrial support. And as all Calik Group Companies operating in different industries, we always stand by our industry and our country.
Yes, we will. The first appointment we will participate will be the next edition of Kingpins Amsterdam show, in April, where we will be launching its new collection for f/w 2024/2025.
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