The İzmir Fashion Designers Association launched a distinctive project within the scope of IF Wedding Fashion İzmir Fair. The association’s members aimed to raise social awareness by designing a black wedding dress to draw attention to violence against women. Displayed with the message “A mentality that targets the existence of women is a disgrace to humanity,” the design attracted significant interest from fair visitors.
Hosted by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and organized by İZFAŞ in partnership with the Aegean Clothing Manufacturers Association (EGSD), IF Wedding Fashion İzmir Fair hosted a striking exhibition ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25. As one of the fair’s supporters and a mentor to young designers through the Bridal Gown Design Competition, the İzmir Fashion Designers Association organized an exhibition featuring bridal gowns, groom wear and evening wear designed by its members. The most remarkable piece of the exhibition was the black wedding dress, created to condemn violence against women and raise public awareness.
Association President Esin Özyiğit stated:
“At this fair, which welcomes visitors from many countries and has become a symbol of fashion and elegance, the idea emerged to draw attention to physical and psychological violence inflicted by humans on women, children, animals—in short, on one another. We wanted to create a symbolic form against violence in our own visual language. The design was met with great interest from visitors. It was brought to life by our association members Taner Tabaklı and Ezgi Mahir, who have previously won awards in the Bridal Gown Design Competition.”
Designers Taner Tabaklı and Ezgi Mahir said:
“By reversing the traditional perception of the wedding dress, we aimed for our design to give a voice to women who have experienced violence. Unlike the white wedding dress, which traditionally symbolizes purity and innocence, the black wedding dress represents the dark side of violence and negative attitudes toward women. Using modern techniques, we created a distinctive aesthetic—employing draping and molding techniques without stitching on the bodice, and using 50 meters of fabric for the skirt. Rather than associating fashion solely with beauty and aesthetics, we wanted to turn it into a tool sensitive to social issues. Violence against women is a problem encountered all over the world, and with this project, we aimed to emphasize the seriousness of this issue. This design seeks to raise awareness across all segments of society in the fight against violence against women.”