Browsing by Author "Aktas, Ceren"

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Citation - WoS: 1
Geleneksel Türk Kadın Giysilerinde Sıfır Atık
(Anadolu Univ, 2024) Aktas, Ceren; Adanir, Elvan Ozkavruk
The origins of traditional clothes of the Turks extend to the clothing culture of their ancestors who lived in Eurasia. Turks wore multi-layered, stitched clothes that allowed freedom of movement, compatible with the climate, geography, and culture they lived in, and they used pattern methods that provided the most efficiency from narrow-width woven fabrics. The cutting features of the traditional Turkish clothing based on using the fabric economically and avoiding wastage, and this method has been applied to clothes used in daily life and on special occasions and worn on top of each other in a certain order. Since fabric waste has become a big problem today, solutions are being tried to be produced with the concepts of zero waste and sustainable fashion. Although this understanding is thought to be a new phenomenon, when historical clothes are examined, it can be said that the zero-waste design approach was applied centuries ago. In this study, the zero-waste design approach of traditional Ottoman Turkish women clothing dating back to the 19th and 20th centuries are analyzed in terms of cutting and pattern making techniques. A total of thirty-eight uc etek, cepken and shalvar samples found in Izmir Ethnography Museum were examined. The results show that zero waste pattern and cutting methods are used in traditional Turkish clothes, thus significantly reducing the wastage rate. With this study, in which the production processes of traditional clothing are examined in depth, it is aimed to provide a source for designs to be made with zero waste method in the future.
Tracing the Legacy of Shalwar: From Ottoman Women to Women's Rights Movements
(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2025) Aktas, Ceren; Adanir, Elvan Ozkavruk
This study examines the historical, cultural, and functional significance of trousers as a long-standing symbol of Turkish women's attire, with a focus on their implications for gender roles and social structure. Using historical, archaeological, and ethnographic sources, the research highlights the key role of trousers in expressing egalitarian values within early Turkic societies and their successors. Trousers were worn by both women and men, not only to allow for mobility and maintain modesty, but also to serve as a visual marker of gender equality. This gender-inclusive clothing tradition represented a social and cultural structure that recognized and legitimatized women's presence in public, work, and domestic spheres. Trousers were a symbol of equality, suited for horse-based civilizations where both sexes wielded swords, practiced archery, and participated in courtship rituals, celebrating martial skills. Among Turkic societies, women's clothing often included open-front robes, trousers, long boots, belts, and headgear. This style, which shaped women's dress for generations, persisted into the Ottoman era and also influenced Western women. This paper investigates the symbolic meanings, historical continuity, archaeological evidence, multifunctionality, and construction methods of Turkish women's trousers. It considers them as important tools for gender negotiation, symbols of bodily autonomy, and representation of female independence.