Şölen Kipöz

ŞÖLEN KİPÖZ had her bachelor study at the Industrial Design Department, Middle East Technical University ; masters degree from Dokuz Eylül University Fine Arts Faculty, Textile Department, and PhD from Communications & Public Relations Department in the field of Fashion Communications in Aegean University.  Her post-doctorate research on Fashion Management took place in Bologna University through a scholarship from Italian Government. She started her academic career in Dokuz Eylül University where she conducted jewelry design projects; She was awarded with best-accessory prize in Beymen-Academia design competition , and participated as a designer in a trend catalog project/Gold Trends Turkey for World Gold Council. She worked as an academic member in Izmir Institute of Technology Industrial Design Master Program. In 2001 she is assigned as a founding academic member of Izmir University of Economics, Fashion Design Department. Currently she is working there as an associate prof.dr, where she delivers courses entitled Fashion Theory, Trend Analysis and Predictions, Graduation Thesis, Fashion Editorial and Writing in Fashion and Textile Design Department and masters/ phd courses as Ethics and Social Responsibility in Design and Narratives in Art and Design in Design Studies program.

Apart from conducting trend research projects and publishing trend books for bridal, jewelry and ready to wear sector, her research interests and publications cover conceptual fashion design, interdisciplinary fashion studies, and ethical and sustainable fashion design. She edited the book entitled Dress Against Disaster (2007), which provided a theoretical basis for a design project exhibited in Social Design Bienale in Utrecth. Her new book entitled Sustainable Fashion (2015) has been influential in the path of slow and ethical fashion and opened a new channel as Ahimsa fashion. Her research covering ethical and sustainable fashion which she challenges the borders between design, art and crafts, has outcomes as some artistic presentations and exhibitions. Her personal exhibition Ahimsa: The other life of clothes (2012) and her installations and performances for PortIzmir3 International Contemporary Art Triennial (2014) are notable. The rag doll which can be produced and personalized by the user, which she designed as a part of the installation “The Legacy in the Pocket” is registered as a utility model by Turkish Patent Institute. Kipöz , first shared this project with women communities and nowadays she is producing  and creating  together with children and teenagers.