Traditional Turkish tülbents adorn world beaches

Tania Eskinazi, a designer from Izmir, has created a popular brand of beachwear based on multicolored tülbents -- better known as traditional embroidered Turkish cheesecloth scarves -- she noticed in a local bazaar.

Her debut show in Las Vegas attracted great attention and so Eskinazi decided to expand her business. The artist is now selling her signature collection, Taka, to 400 luxury boutiques around the world. Thus, with the help of Eskinazi's collection, the simple Turkish tülbent has become a global fashion sensation. The beach apparel, made with tülbent and edged with fine lace, has become a firm favorite with celebrities such as Cameron Diaz and Paris Hilton.

Eskinazi, who comes from a family with 30 years' experience in the textile business, studied design and style in New York and started her own business after working as a designer for the up-market Turkish brand Vakkoroma. Prior to Taka, oversized t-shirts were used to cover up on beaches, according to Eskinazi, who says that she has added a special touch to beachwear and views her success in as a result of the lack of beach clothing available in the US.

The whole story began when she was wandering through a bazaar in Alaçatı, İzmir. Eskinazi looked at the tülbents on sale and realized that they could be adapted into items of clothing. "This [cheesecloth] fabric has been used as a headscarf for centuries in Anatolia and now, for the first time, we transformed it into beachwear. We made a 10 to 15-piece collection from tülbent fabric, adorned with Anatolian motifs and lace created by needlework, carefully crafted by local village women, and exhibited them in a Las Vegas magic show. The interest was unbelievable and we received a $20,000 order. The wide appeal of tülbent and its unique fabric caught the attention of fashion publications and the Taka collections were featured in fashion magazines. Then, after three or four months, Taka became popular with celebrities such as Britney Spears, Cameron Diaz, Paris Hilton, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie and Sienna Miller. We took orders from well-known boutiques and our products started to be sold in the same boutiques as other famous brands."

Taka products are popular with stores that appeal to high-end customers and are sold for $100-300 in 400 boutiques across 21 countries, ranging from the US to Italy; from Japan to Brazil. While noting that their designs are imitated by other designers Eskinazi said: "All I can say is that even Zara is following our collection. It is not only the fabric that has become popular; our designs have increasing worldwide appeal. We started off with a small budget and now we are quickly growing -- and there are many responsibilities that come with this expansion. Even leading fashion authorities are aware of our products and we aim at growing even larger as a clothing line.

"The entire production of all of our collections comes from our facilities in İzmir. In the beginning, we were exporting roughly 20,000-30,000 items. I guess this year that number will go up to 500,000, and we are hoping to boost this figure to 2 million within the next two years. There are so many brands around the world and each day another newcomer comes on board. To be able to survive in this sector, we will enrich our brand with new designs and new fabrics."

She added that they did not think of selling their products in Turkey at first because people would think that they made clothes out of a very familiar and cheap cloth for $100. However last year's demand was well above their expectations and they are certain to increase sales as the brand name increases in popularity and appeal.

There are numerous improvements taking place in Turkey's design and fashion sector, one of the biggest in the world in the production textile and ready wear. In particular, the new generations of families immersed in the textile business are aware of the importance of collections. "Design schools and academies, which are increasing in number, are giving also signs of hope for the future of the textile sector in Turkey," Eskinazi said.

"Anatolia has a very rich culture and it should be presented to the whole world. In my exhibitions, alongside the clothing, I distribute Turkey's tourism catalogues and Turkish delight. There is no reason for Turkish culture not to be as popular as Indian culture, which is popular in the West, especially if young Turkish designers are supported," she stressed. Highlighting that Taka is introducing Anatolian lace motifs alongside the tülbent, she said almost 1,000 women from the villages of İzmir are working on handmade lace for various Taka collections. She concluded her words by giving information about Taka's upcoming projects for an embroidery canvas production to revive make the almost-forgotten motifs of Anatolia throughout the world.

Posted: 12:16 p.m. EST August 10, 2007 by me ts