Leather industry honoured designers and exporters together. The Aegean Leather and Leather Products Exporters Association held two successive awards ceremonies in the industry one after the other. As part of the Leather&More Fair, a final fashion show was held while the winners of Deri’n Fikirler Leather Design competition received their awards. In addition, companies that provide high export figures in the field of leather were honoured with the Stars of Export Award Ceremony. At the ceremony; 36 companies that made 92 percent of the total exports of the leather and leather products sector were awarded in the bronze, silver and gold categories.
While DEÜ Faculty of Fine Arts student İpek Erdem won the first prize at Deri’n Fikirler Leather Design and Production Competition, the second prize was presented to Arzu Birdal, a student of İzmir University of Economics, Department of Fashion and Textile Design; and the third place went to Nurdan Ahsen Fıçıcı, a student at İzmir University of Economics, Department of Fashion and Textile Design.
The designs of 10 finalists were exhibited at the fashion show held with the choreography of Serkan Duman. The first designer received the award of 10 thousand TL; while the second designer received 6 thousand TL, the third designer received 4 thousand TL. Award-winning designers also had the opportunity to intern in the Netherlands. Finalists will also have the opportunity to study abroad if the project of the Aegean Leather and Leather Products Exporters Association is approved by the Ministry of Trade.
Leather industry target for 2020 is to increase leather exports by 15 percent
Chairman of the Aegean Leather and Leather Products Exporters Association, Erkan Zandar made a speech at the award ceremony. Zander; “I would like to thank the exporters, who are struggling to export every year under increasing competitive conditions; spend their days abroad to sell goods away from home, continue their exports despite all adverse conditions in 2019; and the Ministry of Trade, which supports these exporters with 3.2 million TL”.
Zandar announced that the Turkish leather industry left 2019 behind with an export figure of 1.6 billion dollars. Stating that they aim to increase their exports by 15 percent in 2020, Zandar said; “We started our work in line with this target. I hope we will be able to reward more of our exporters a year later”.
The companies that were awarded in the Gold category at the Stars of Export Award Ceremony were listed as follows; Agamer Deri, Eskatek Deri, Lider Deri, Marc Chantal Deri, Narinbebe Ayakkabı, Sepiciler Çaybaşı Deri.