ETEIA » Mentoring success story of Dilara Sümeyye CAN

Great successes come from mentoring programme! Voillà, the enterprise beginned by Dilara Sümeyye CAN from OSTİM Teknik Üniversitesi is a perfect example of such initiaitive. Read her story below, inspire and visit her instagram: voilladesignco.

"I'm Dilara Sümeyye CAN. I was born in July 2001. I am 21 years old. From my childhood, I dreamed of how I could make everything better, every moment of my life. I always thought about improving and developing an object I saw, an outfit I wore, or an event that happened.

My adventure in establishing my own business started exactly on the basis of these characteristics. Since I did not be satisfied with the clothes I wore in terms of visuals and quality, I felt the need to design a better one. At first, after making the clothes that I designed only for myself, I put them on display by wearing them. The clothes I designed were highly appreciated and demanded.

This appreciation and demand helped me trigger higher and encouraged me to turn my work into a professional job. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rıza Bayrak and Bedi Çelik showed great interest in my story. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rıza Bayrak has mentored me in the process of the Advanced Training I received under the ETEIA project. I learned lots of things about the establishment of a company, especially how to be a good entrepreneur, and what qualities a real visionary should have.

In light of these developments, I decided to create my own unique brand. I dreamed of the days when every person who saw the products I designed would say, “This is it!”. That's why I chose the name of my brand as 'VOILLA', inspired by the Italian and French word 'voila'. The word I was inspired by was "Voila!", "That's it!", denotes the excitement experienced once a problem that needs to be solved for a long time is solved. The name I chose for my brand had a meaning that fully met me, my products, and, more importantly, my dreams.

After creating my brand and establishing a company, I faced many difficulties and challenges such as production, promotion, marketing, and legal procedures. In fact, it made me face the reality of how hard the process of bringing my dreams to life is. My dear mentor Assoc. Prof. Dr. Riza Bayrak and Assist. Prof. Dr. Melike Aktas Bozkurt contributed so much to solving the problems I faced.

As a result, at the point I have come to at the moment, the numerous products that I design and produce are in the wardrobes of many people. The designs that we have just completed are waiting for their new owners. The excitement inside me and the feeling of moving to new adventures are increasing day by day."

Dilara Sümeyye CAN