They brought cultural heritage into ‘fashion’

Turkey’s world-renowned cultural treasures, such as Hagia Sophia, Ancient City of Ephesus, Pergamon, and Troy, Göbeklitepe, Hattusa, Cappadocia, Mardin-Mor Gabriel, Mount Nemrut, and Zeugma, have inspired fashion. Senior students from Izmir University of Economics (IUE) Department of Textile and Fashion Design prepared a special collection of elegant garments inspired by the country’s historical sites as part of the project titled “Fashion in the Footsteps of Cultural Heritage.” Iranian students studying at IUE also contributed by working on archaeological sites from their culture, such as Persepolis and Tepe Sialk.

The young designers presented their collections, created under the guidance of Studio Coordinator Assoc. Prof. Şölen Kipöz, to the fashion and academic communities in a special exhibition. These IUE students gained high acclaim for their designs, which they prepared using active methods such as interdisciplinary research in archaeology, history, and art, along with traveling and on-site observation.

The opening of the exhibition, created by senior students of IUE Department of Textile and Fashion Design and inspired by the cultural assets of Anatolian, Mesopotamian, Greek, and Roman civilizations, was attended by Bayraklı Mayor İrfan Önal, Izmir Chamber of Commerce (IZTO) Vice Chair of the Assembly Mehmet Tahir Özdemir, fashion designer Hatice Gökçe, members of the Aegean Clothing Manufacturers Association, representatives of non-governmental organizations, and alumni.

“THEY WORKED WITH GREAT EXCITEMENT”

Congratulating the students on their successful work, Assoc. Prof. Şölen Kipöz said, “Through this project, students had the opportunity to explore cultural heritage through fashion. With great enthusiasm, they made personal visits to regions rich in cultural assets. Alongside archaeological research, they drew inspiration from their observations and photo archives, creating fashion concepts rooted in the historical, cultural, symbolic, and aesthetic elements of different civilizations. In addition to presenting their contemporary fashion collections featuring four looks, they shared their design books documenting the process and fashion photography with the guests. Moreover, the students took full responsibility for event details, from designing invitations to organizing the exhibition and preparing the refreshments. Through this event, we shared the creative outcomes of the studio and the students’ excitement with professionals from the fashion and academic worlds.”