Nejla Güvenç

Nejla Guvenc (born in 1969) is a Turkish fashion designer. Born in Istanbul, she has been in the fashion industry for many years and launched her own label, NEJ, in 2002, with the aim of turning it into a global brand. Her designs are created in the NEJ Atelier, or "design kitchen".

Nejla Güvenç considers design as a long, continuing journey. She uses organic fabrics such as silk, linen, cotton and leather and her 'ecological movement' collections have been launched in France, England, Sweden, Portugal, Denmark, Greece, Benelux, Israel and South Korea. She has been part of the design and production teams for brands such as Hugo Boss, Zapa, Rogan, Iro, Gloria Estelles, Pierre Cardin, GAP, Nike, Banana Republic, Zara and Massimo Dutti.

Social projects

She took part in the Jimmy Key project where young artists supported the project for a brighter future for Turkey. All of the income garnered from the project was donated to the education association in Turkey. She also designed a backpack for the Eastpak Artist Studio to support the pre-school education of children.

International fashion fairs and runway shows (2006 - 2012)

Accomplishments

Nejla Güvenç was the first Turkish woman chosen for the ’10,000 Women Program’, a project funded by Goldman Sachs1 and supported by a network of organisations and academic institutions.

She was 2nd place in the "Most Promising Woman Entrepreneur" category of the 5th "Turkey's Woman Entrepreneur" competition that was held in collaboration with Garanti Bank, the The Economist and the Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey (KAGIDER) in 2011.

Güvenç and her brand, NEJ, have been chosen by ITKIB (Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporters’ Associations) to represent Turkey around the world, and ITKIB also support the fairs and trade shows she attends.

She is the vice president of MTD (The Turkish Fashion Designers’ Association).

She won 'The Corporate Social Responsibility Programme of the Year in Europe Award' under the International Business Awards by the Stevie Business Awards.

She has been chosen to represent Turkey in the “Hope Couture” fashion event, a haute couture event which specifically encourages collaboration between international fashion designers and manufacturers. This event is organised by the United Cultures Organization, an organization that aims to bring the cultures and communities of the world closer together through fashion and art.

References

• United Cultures
• Nejla Güvenç
• Haber Detay
• Turkish Culture