IZMIR UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS’ SIGNATURE IN WEDDING GOWN DESIGN
Design by Firdevs Tülin Gülhan, senior student at Izmir University of Economics (IUE), Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, Department of Fashion and Textile Design, came in first place among 350 others at the 5th Bridal Design Competition organized as part of IF WEDDING FASHION SHOW- Wedding Dresses, Suits, and Evening Gowns Fair. Gülhan was presented her award by Ekrem Demirtaş, President of IUE Board of Trustees, and Aziz Kocaoğlu, Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. Gülhan will be organizing a fashion show of her collection at the fair 2 years later.
President Ekrem Demirtaş stated that their understanding of assertive training has been crowned with bigger success with each passing day. He said that IUE students and graduates gave a high quality, new impulse to fashion sector with their innovative and entrepreneur signature. “We are proud to train designers who are assertive in the international arena but have their feet on the ground thanks to the education they receive. Our student made it to the first 15 among 350 designers and eventually came in first place,” said President Demirtaş.
Experimental design brought success
Firdevs Tülin Gülhan mentioned that the education she received gave quite a different direction to her distinction and creativity, and she told about the story behind her design that brought in award for her:
“I am involved in experimental studies. The theme of the competition was silver screen. I took silver screen as a motion picture screen. When you enter a dark hall you leave your life behind the door. You enter a totally different life in that dark hall. A light emerges from the projector in that dark location. It surrounds you and lightens up that silver screen. It somehow reflects your dream relationship, dream life, and dream house. I used these in my design. The cloak flying away in the background symbolised the projector. And the layers symbolised our memories, our lives. My entire design is hand sewn. I did not use sewing machine. I gave different shapes to the fabric by heat.”
Gülhan, who indicated that she wanted to upgrade fashion through experimental studies, stated that she aimed to present designs with unique techniques in her collection that she will exhibit 2 years later at the fair.
‘The fair gets worldwide attention’
Prof. Dr. Elvan Özkavruk Adanır, Head of IUE Department of Fashion and Textile Design, indicated that they always encouraged their students to enter competitions, and she said, “Wedding Dresses, Suits, and Evening Gowns Fair is a very important fair for Izmir. The fair also gets worldwide attention. We are getting our students ready for the professional life intensely.”
‘We aim higher…’
Jörn Fröchlich, Lecturer at IUE Department of Fashion and Textile Design, who guided Gülhan throughout the design process, stated that he supported his students to go beyond traditional fashion and ‘haute couture’. Frönchlich said Gülhan used a new technique in terms of manipulation of change of materials and fabric especially.
