Turkish Fabric Rises to the Top with ‘Design’
Organized for 19 years by the Istanbul Textile and Raw Materials Exporters’ Association (ITHIB), the winners of the Futuretex Istanbul Fabric Design Competition have been announced. It was announced that among the first three finalists, the contestants deemed appropriate by the Ministry of Trade will also be granted the right to study abroad.
“It’s Time to Build Turkey, the Country of Brands”
The award night was attended by the presidents of sectoral associations and unions, as well as over 600 guests. Emphasizing that design is one of the key words for everyone involved in production and exports, Mustafa Gültepe, President of the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM), said: “Because there are several ways to add value to production and exports. We can use high technology, develop innovative products, create brands and make sustainable products. All of these add value to the product. Here, design is one of the levers that add value to the product, often even multiplying the value. Perhaps the most important one. Our textile industry is doing very important work in developing its design power. With Futuretex, which has now become a tradition, new young talents are brought into the sector every year. Of the 332 design centers in Turkiye, 53 are located within the textile industry. This data alone is enough to show us the importance that textiles attach to design. In those centers, the future of the sector is woven with the meticulousness of a rare fabric. I know that we have a huge potential in the textile and ready-to-wear sectors. Turkiye is already a brand country in these two sectors. Now it is time for us to build ‘Turkiye the country of brands’. For this, we must pave the way for our knowledgeable and well-equipped young people. We must give young people the opportunity.”
Our Designers will Become an Important Icon”
Noting that for 19 years they have been organizing the competition, their biggest source of motivation is ‘to ensure the branding of world-famous Turkish fabrics with design’, Ahmet Öksüz, Chairman of the Board of ITHIB, said that with Futuretex Istanbul Fabric Design Competition, they support young talents inspired by the goals of Turkiye developing with value-added exports. Speaking at the award ceremony attended by more than 600 guests, Ahmet Öksüz said, “Our aim with this competition is to encourage our young designers who are the representatives of change at every stage where design touches and to create a spark for our fabrics to gain international quality and branding. Our finalists from Turkiye and different geographies of the world not only exhibit their fabric knowledge and skills, but also blend different cultures, thoughts and aesthetics with the power of their designs. Our finalists who receive awards will be important symbols of the values they will add to the design world.”
Study Abroad Opportunity
Fatih Bilici, Deputy Chairman of the Board of ITHIB and Chairman of the Fairs Committee, was the Jury President of the Competition; Özlem Süer was the Competition Coach and the jury members were Kemal Özhaseki, Nejdet Ayaydın, Filiz Tunca, Neslişah Yılmaz, Ahmet Altınöz, Nesrin Türkmen, Elif Ergu Demiral and Amor Garibovic.
The winner of the competition was Aslı Aslan, with Seher Yıldırım in second place and Seda Nur Canbolat in third place. The special jury award went to Leyla Tadzhibaeva. In Futuretex Istanbul Fabric Design Competition, the first prize winner received 200 thousand TL, the second prize winner received 150 thousand TL and the third prize winner received 100 thousand TL, while a competitor determined by the jury received a special honor award of 60 thousand TL. The top 3 contestants were also provided with 6 months of foreign language education, the top 3 designers were provided with the opportunity to visit an international fair determined by ITHIB and all finalists were provided with a scholarship at Istanbul Fashion Academy. At Futuretex Istanbul, where Özlem Süer was the Competition Coach, one of the contestants who won the jury’s special award this year, as in the previous year, was given the ‘İpekyol Special Award’.