In this episode of Eylül Aşkın İle, Eylül Aşkın visits the renowned weaving artist, textile, and fashion designer Fırat Neziroğlu at his studio in Yıldız.

“If you had asked me, I would have become a history teacher.”

When asked by Eylül Aşkın, “How did you discover your connection to fabric and your passion for art?” Fırat Neziroğlu responded, “It happened naturally,” and began sharing his story of how he arrived at where he is today: “My father was a football player, my sister is a rhythmic gymnast, and I danced for a long time because my father wanted me to. I took the fine arts faculty entrance exam because my mother wanted me to. If you had asked me, I would have become a history teacher.”

He was an assistant to Suhandan Özay Demirkan for 10 years!

Neziroğlu expressed that he was very fortunate in both dance and textiles, having worked with excellent teachers. After working with Suna Eden Şenel for many years in dance, he also spent 10 years as an assistant to Suhandan Özay Demirkan, one of the prominent figures in textiles who academically introduced the term fiber art to Turkey. Remembering his late teacher, Neziroğlu said, “Her greatness lies in this: she taught me to weave not like her, but like myself.” Reflecting on their unique relationship, he added, “We would weave together, but we were never alike. I think that is something very precious.”

“The revival of Anatolia will happen with women.”

Fırat Neziroğlu emphasized the significant role of women in the future of Anatolia, stating, “The hand that rocks the cradle shakes the world. In my opinion, the revival of Anatolia will definitely happen with women.” He explained the origin of the Anatolian Textile Network by saying, “Even within our cities, even in our neighborhoods, there are different techniques. I became obsessed with this and traveled through all the cities. This year, I started visiting neighborhoods. There are so many women producing things, and I wanted them to become aware of each other, independent of me.”

“This doesn’t happen by living in grand castles or towers; it happens by walking the streets.”

The artist, who has achieved remarkable success both in Turkey and internationally, has designed for many royal families around the world, including Queen Elizabeth. With his humility and sincerity, Fırat Neziroğlu caught Eylül Aşkın’s attention. When Aşkın asked, “Could this have contributed to your success as well?” Neziroğlu responded, “Art means life, and life means people. If I’m not together with people and life, how can I understand anything? I think one of our fundamental issues today is that we constantly talk about the shape, size, and magnitude of things. The shape of something doesn’t matter at all; its meaning does.”

He’s Coming with a Fashion Show to Tell the Story of Anatolia.

Fırat Neziroğlu shared his plans for an upcoming fashion show, saying, “I will hold a fashion show that outlines the Anatolian Textile Network, marking the places where you can get a shirt when requested.” While announcing that the show will take place soon, he also revealed that his designs inspired by street animals will be showcased at Contemporary Istanbul.