Writing this article as a new graduate, and working in one of my first jobs in the Communications Department of Parla, I feel that Parla truly deserves all the praise for its dynamic and young team of in-house designers. Parla is definitely a place that generates hope for the up and coming generations. Some designers have even been with us for over 10 years and have developed into being managers across different departments.
To honour and sustain our commitment to supporting young generations of designers, we have been delivering workshops and leading seminars in two universities this year. Whilst 2025 university partnership projects are still ongoing and there are more to come, we felt that this week was a good opportunity to start highlighting elements of our social responsibility projects related to designers of the future as it is the week we celebrate International Design Day. Established in 1995 this international day celebrates the power of design to drive positive change, encouraging designers to create inclusive and innovative solutions.
On this phase of our projects’ scope were Eskisehir Technical University and Istanbul Bilgi University’s undergraduate students, who benefited from Parla’s endeavours to spread its know-how and experience, as a company with a history spanning 115 years. At Bilgi University, our designers Berrak Ilkcan Sener and Gizem Arpaci wore their lecturer hats for the Furniture Design Studio Course intended for third-year students during the spring semester. Delivering two lectures a week over a course of the semester, the aim was for students to design a seating unit for either a hotel, restaurant or cafeteria as well as redesign Parla’s TOFU coffee table for their midterm.
The hefty process of creating the seating unit product, which was briefed to aim to be able to blend into Parla’s Collection, included research on seating units from a design history perspective, as well as contextual, market place, and user research.
The judging of the project took place on April 15, where each student group presented three different seating options. Accompanied by Bilgi University lecturers, our Director of Design & Project Management Betul Inci joined our designers, Gizem and Berrak to give feedback on the presented designs and help prepare students’ final products for the midterm.
After the judging of the project, Professor Yasemin Soylu from Bilgi University said, “Endless thanks to the Parla team for participating in the concept selection jury of the Furniture Design Studio (ID 302) course at Istanbul Bilgi University and for their valuable feedback.”
At Eskisehir Technical University, the Design Club invited us for their tenth-year celebration to hear from Parla’s young but experienced designers. Our Marketing Specialist, Nihal Cavus, and a team of designers (Gizem Arpaci, Berrak Ilkcan Sener and Seda Yetkiner) had the opportunity to connect with students close to them in age, creating a warm, engaging space for mutual learning and inspiration. A workshop also took place where students got the opportunity to customise 3D models of our Cora and Moose armchairs.
Other upcoming collaborations are going to be with Wentworth Institute of Technology from Boston and with Ozyegin University, Istanbul are still in the works for 2025. Building on our experience with Bilgi, we aim to implement a similar course plan for students of both these universities as well. Our designers will go out to the field again to continue spreading knowledge and inspiring young people across campuses in Turkey.
115 years of history, and the legacy carries on! Parla continues to pursue invesment in young creatives, recognising their power to bring innovation and fresh perspectives to both the design world and Parla’s sphere.
Stay tuned for more projects!
