Students from Mimar Sinan University, Yeditepe University and Marmara University participated in the contest, which was run under the slogan “You Design the Difference,” but Mimar Sinan University swept the competition, with all three of the top-ranking projects selected by the nine-member panel of judges designed by Mimar Sinan students.
The winner of the competition was Ayşe Arzık with her “Magic Bag-Jacket,” which can be used both as a jacket and a bag, and the “Innovate Belt,” a stylish belt with pockets that completes the jacket.
In second place was Ahmet Öğünmez with a coat called “The Third Dimension.” The coat has three layers of fabric, one on top of another, that may be used together or separately depending on the requirements of the location or occasion. For example, a person wearing this coat in a serious meeting may opt to have it with a solid black pattern or may reverse it to have a coat with a grayish plaid pattern in seconds. The upper-most layer of the coat can also be easily changed to give a completely different look.
Finally, the third place prize went to Hilal Beder for her “Kangaroo Mont” design, a coat that has a special accessory covering the chest featuring handy pockets. All products in the competition were designed in accordance with the criteria of Süvari’s innovative category, which required being functional and original while using materials that are most suitable for the design. The competition started in the spring of last year, and 66 students submitted projects.
Speaking at the award ceremony on Wednesday in İstanbul, Süvari Chairman Ahmet Coşkun noted the significance of the cooperation between industry and the university, describing the competition as a good example of such collaborative efforts that benefit both sides. “This competition, which we organized with Mimar Sinan University, aims to encourage our youth to display their talents while urging them to join our sector,” he asserted.
Süvari managed to increase its sales by 148 percent last year, when the global economic crisis reached its peak, over 2008 while achieving an increase of 97 percent in turnover. The group aims to earn $70 million and build up its number of stores to 80. It currently has 66 stores: 53 in Turkey and 13 abroad.
