She crowned female beauty with accessories; her designs became an important source of income for homemakers. Özüm Yelkencioğlu, Graduate of Department of Fashion and Textile Design, Faculty of Arts and Design, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), provided employment for over 20 women with her handmade belts under the brand of “Katun”.
Yelkencioğlu stated that the education she received at Izmir University of Economics encouraged her to take big steps. Yelkencioğlu said, “As a designer, I did not want to keep still about manual labor being overlooked due to mechanization. I based my brand on manual laboring, and provided employment for over 20 homemakers in my team. We worked together to manufacture my own designs”.
'Going Global'
They were taught what kind of steps to take, and how to, and when to take them at IUE Department of Fashion and Textile Design, stated Yelkencioğlu, and she said that she based her designs on accessories of women, an area that is very essential to women. “The elegance of belts when combined with dresses, blazers, or t-shirts especially is a must for me. The magical touch of belt on a female body, on the hollow of her back, adds a very different look to the body. My belt designs are based on that. They come in a variety of colors and models. On the other hand, I add another dimension by embroidery. We combine leather with embroidery. After Turkey, our products will go on sale in England as well,” said Yelkencioğlu.
