American University Students Startup

Empowers Turkish Craftswomen

By: Hannah Tiner

WASHINGTON

April 19, 2017

College is a full time job for many students. For Esra Ozturk, a sophomore at

American University in Washington D.C., it is also her business headquarters. Ozturk is

the founder of Arzo, a fashion company that sources clothing and jewelry from female

artisans in Turkey.

A native of Istanbul, Esra grew up in northern California and spent her summers

in Turkey. Each year, she met women who shared their stories of battling the daily

obstacles caused by poverty and gender inequality. Their resilience and artistry inspired

Ozturk to create a platform to share the womens work.

I fell in love with their kind spirits and knew others would too, she says.

She was also motivated by the harrowing events that occurred in Turkey in the

summer of 2016.

I landed in Istanbul just three days before the terrorist attack, Ozturk says of the

June 28 attack on Atatrk Airport. I was also there a few weeks later when the coup

occurred.

The instability in the area caused a mass departure of tourists, a vital source of

income for local craftswomen. Turkey became seen as a place of fear, says Ozturk.

She created Arzo to share Turkish womens stories with the world and show that

the products they made were beautiful and that the terrible occurrences that had

affected them could happen to any of us.

 The online store showcases knit tops, necklaces, bracelets and anklets made

from beads, stones, wood and tassels. Each collection is named after the craftswoman

who produced it and includes a short statement from the woman about her life and

connection to the craft. One of the artists, Ilknur, says, This is my everything. My bread,

my health, my relief, my love, my hope."

Ozturk hires Arzo Ambassadors, Turkish women who serve as scouts for new

clothing and jewelry. When the ambassadors find a new craftswoman to collaborate

with, they use a buyout system in which the women are paid double the asking price for

their products. Arzo then resells the items and determines which designs are most

popular with customers so the artists can adjust for demand.

The Turkish women are employed by Arzo full time and year-round as opposed

to their typically seasonal income, providing them more economic stability. Additionally,

Arzo organizes weekly classes for the women to learn skills critical to supporting

themselves and their families.

The young company has already experienced much success. Esra was named a

NextGen Designer finalist and had the opportunity to display Arzos styles at a DC

Fashion Week runway show. Ozturk also attended the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit

where she networked with other young entrepreneurs.

At American University, Ozturk collaborates with the Kogod Business Schools

Incubator, a resource for students and alumni starting businesses and non-profits. The

Incubator supplies the startups with space, mentors, and networking opportunities to

develop their ideas, according to the AU website.

 The entrepreneurship community is welcoming and the people in it want to help

one another succeed both personally and professionally, Ozturk says.

Esra hopes that her business can eventually expand into other countries whose

women have been affected by conflicted.

She says, Our goal would be to help the overall economy in an impoverished

nation by helping women become self-sufficient in their careers.

As far as her long term aspirations for Turkey, she says, There is a lot of room

for progress and I want to be involved in the economic empowerment of women by

giving them their independence through steady income based on their own skills and

talent.

Gender inequality continues to be a problem in Turkey. According to Hurriyet,

Turkey ranked 123 out of 130 in its attempt to close the gender gap in a report by the

World Economic Forum. Nearly 40 percent of women in Turkey report experiencing

physical abuse at least once, reports the BBC.

Only approximately one-third of Turkish women participate in the workforce and

approximately 4.1 million work in the informal economy, according to Hurriyet. Esra

Ozturk hopes her business can improve womens social and economic equality and

allow them to improve their lives and the lives of generations to come.