EXPORTS IN THE LEATHER SECTOR WILL INCREASE WITH YOUNG DESIGNERS

To spread the design culture and achieve sustainable development in exports with added value, the winners of the Detay Leather Products Design Competition organized by the Istanbul Leather and Leather Products Exporters’ Association (IDMIB) found their owners for the sixth time.

Noting that the competition not only rewards innovative designs but also plays a critical role in supporting promising talents in the sector, IDMIB Board Member and Competition Jury President Emel Güven Bardız said, “Our competition; we organize it with the aim of increasing the creative power of the Turkish leather industry, encouraging design, and bringing new designers to the sector quickly. We believe that the future and exports of the leather industry will rise with young designers.”

Istanbul Leather and Leather Products Exporters’ Association (IDMIB) organized the Detay Leather Products Design Competition for the 6th time this year in the leather apparel and saddlery categories to increase the creative power of the Turkish leather industry, encouraging design and bringing new designers to the sector quickly. Before the competition, where the winning designs were announced at the award ceremony held on November 20, IDMIB Board Member and Competition Jury President Emel Güven Bardız and Creative Director of the competition Gamze Saraçoğlu made statements.

Leather Products That Can Be Used for a Lifetime Make a Difference in Sustainability

Stating that the competition not only rewards innovative designs, but also plays a critical role in supporting promising talents in the sector, Emel Güven Bardız said; He said that as a union, they aim to strengthen their exports by working design-oriented. Noting that many of the designs made using leather are classic and timeless, Bardiz stated that leather products are generally designed to be used for a lifetime, which is very valuable in terms of sustainability.

“We Will Achieve Value-Added Exports with Young Designers”

Underlining that they trust the creativity of young designers, Emel Güven Bardiz continued her words as follows: “Young designers will make a great contribution to Turkey’s exports and the growth of the fashion industry in the future. Our competition allows these young talents to showcase their innovative ideas. We contribute to the development of new brands and initiatives within the sector. With our competition, we want to bring our young talents to the sector. Because, as a country, we need to export with higher added value. We believe that we will achieve this with our young designers.”

Emphasizing that the leather and leather products sector is the fourth sector with the highest value-added exports in Turkey today, Bardız said, “While Turkey’s export unit price per kilogram is at the level of 1.2 dollars, we are at the level of 10.3 dollars in the leather and leather products sector, 15 dollars in the saddlery sector, and 130 dollars in leather and fur apparel. However, we aim to raise these levels even higher.”

Profile Will Rise in Leather Design

Gamze Saraçoğlu, the Creative Director of the competition, drew attention to the following issues in her evaluation: “Students tend to turn to the textile field because of its low cost. However, leather is an integral part of the textile industry. Despite this, leather remains a costly option. That’s why there’s a need for a more specialized program dedicated to leather design. The number of successful leather-oriented brands in Turkey is still small. We hope that this competition will raise the profile of leather design and encourage more students to explore this field.”

In addition to cash prizes of up to 100 thousand TL, the winning designers were offered domestic and international training opportunities. The designs that made it to the finals were evaluated by the jury consisting of leading names of the industry such as creative director Gamze Saraçoğlu, Emel Güven Bardız, Arzu Kaprol, Niyazi Erdoğan and Sedef Orman. The winners were announced at the ceremony held at TİM. At the ceremony, companies that made a difference in exports were also awarded in the gold and platinum categories.

This event, which shaped the future of the Turkish leather industry, went down in history as an important step to reinforce the power of design and the place of the industry in the international market

6. Detail Leather Products Design Competition Winners;

Leather Garment Category

1- Melike Dolan

2- Aleyna Mizgin Toprak

3- Servan Cetinkaya

Leathercraft  Category

1- Gülşah Series Nightingale

2- Emirhan Karayilan,

3- Dilan Güçlü