The 15 finalists of the 16th Bridal Gown Design Competition, held within the scope of IF Wedding Fashion İzmir – Bridal, Groom and Evening Wear Fair, one of Europe’s largest fashion fairs, have been announced. Organized this year under the theme “Balance,” the competition aimed at introducing young designers to the industry received 206 designs from 103 designers.
Hosted by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and organized by İZFAŞ in partnership with the Aegean Clothing Manufacturers Association (EGSD), IF Wedding Fashion İzmir will open its doors at fuarizmir between January 20–22, 2026. Beyond being an international trend-setting meeting point, the fair also supports young designers as they take their first steps into the industry. The Bridal Gown Design Competition held within the fair aims to strengthen the sector with new designs and reveal original creations capable of shaping fashion and trends in international markets. Following the jury’s preliminary evaluation of 206 designs, 15 finalists were selected to compete in the final stage of this year’s competition themed “Balance.”
Finalist designers
The finalists are Alireza Moslemi, Buğra Akyel, Buse Doğan, Gülem Öykü Karabıyık, Leyla Bozlakoğlu, Nazlı Ceren Yılmaz, Nazlıcan İnanç, Nehir Karaca, Nihan Selin Paksoy, Seher Yılmaz, Sevgi Aleyna Buzkıran, Simina Avcı, Şule Özçukurlu, Yasemin Kumbasar and Zeynep Nur Kaya.
The finalist designers will begin a mentorship process alongside professional designers who are members of the İzmir Fashion Designers Association, transforming their concepts into production. During an online briefing meeting held at fuarizmir, the pairing process between the 15 finalists and their designer mentors who will accompany them throughout the production stage was completed. The finalists will present their designs to industry professionals at a special fashion show held one day before IF Wedding Fashion İzmir, where the winning designs will be announced. In addition, all 15 designs will be exhibited throughout the fair and showcased to visitors.
Mentor designers
The mentor designers from the İzmir Fashion Designers Association who will guide the finalists include Burak Çiçek, Çağrı Şengül, Dilek Yaldız, Done Özaki, Ezgi Mahir, Melek Özyenilmez, Meltem Aybar, Meriç Sefer, Nergis Şahan, Nükhet Gelen, Taner Tabaklı, Volkan Kerimoğlu, Yasemin Mızrak, Zeynep Olgun and Zühre Balaban.
Jury of industry experts
The competition is chaired by designer Övge Yıldızhan Subaşı and evaluated by an extensive jury composed of leading designers, academics and industry representatives. Jury members include designer Amor Garibovic; Belma Özdemir, President of the Istanbul Fashion Designers Association; stylist Erdal Güvenç; Prof. Dr. Ender Bulgun, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design at İzmir University of Economics; designer Erkan Demiroğlu; designer Erol Albayrak; Esin Özyiğit, President of the İzmir Fashion Designers Association; İsmail Urhan, Chairman of the Board of White House; designer Javad Shadkam; Prof. Kemal Can, Head of the Textile and Fashion Design Department at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University; Assoc. Prof. Meltem Ok, faculty member at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Fine Arts; Dr. Müşerref Zeytinoğlu, faculty member at Yeditepe University Faculty of Fine Arts; designer Murat Acar; designer Nadir Demir; designer Özlem Erkan; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Serdar Egemen Nadasbaş, Head of the Textile and Fashion Design Department at Atılım University; designer Simay Bülbül; and Prof. Dr. Ziynet Öndoğan, Director of the School of Fashion and Design at Ege University.
Awards await the winners
Young designers who place in the competition will gain both a strong entry into the sector and prestigious awards. The first-place designer will receive TRY 100,000 and earn the right to stage a Performance Fashion Show at IF Wedding Fashion İzmir 2027. The second-place designer will be awarded TRY 75,000 (sponsored by EGSD), while the third-place designer will receive TRY 50,000. Additionally, the Performance Fashion Show of Öztürk Yıkılmaz, winner of last year’s competition, will meet fashion enthusiasts on the IF Wedding Fashion İzmir 2026 runway.