The 8th Laleli Fashion Shopping Festival kicked off Monday at the Laleli neighborhood of Istanbul's Fatih district. The annual festival brings together textile producers, buyers and fashion lovers. This year 250 buyers from all over the world and thousands of shopping enthusiasts are taking part in the event.

For the festival, 40 textile and fashion companies opened their doors to festivalgoers until Aug. 9. Hundreds of business contracts will be signed between producers and buyers.

Meanwhile, fashion lovers will also have a chance to catch up with the latest trends and shop from a multitude of choices.

Laleli is one of Istanbul's most distinguished shopping and fashion centers, which primarily focuses on exports. The festival has been organized since 2012 to help the area's more than 7,000 workplaces use production, marketing and sales channels better.