Aytaç Yıldırım is a 33-year-old denim technologist for LC Waikiki who has been teaching denim design courses at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. He believes that bringing industry experience into academia can combine practical skills with artistic and theoretical knowledge. The students have shown great interest in learning about denim washing techniques and fabric composition. They have gained an understanding of trends, production, and how to manually recreate washes at home. Upcoming denim trends will include laser designs, jersey-like fabrics, heavy washes, and eco-friendly processing methods.

1. Below you can
find the interview
on the details of a
short course
given to Mimar
Sinan Fine Arts
University
students by Aytaç
Yıldırım, Denim
Technologist of
the LC Waikiki
Sourcing Team, a
field which is a
novelty in Turkey.
1. Could you tell a bit about yourself?
My name is Aytaç Yıldırım. I am 33. I am a textile engineer. I have been working for LC Waikiki
for about ten years. I take roles in LC Waikiki as Denim Technologist for the Sourcing Department
and Denim Washing Trainer in the LC Waikiki Academy. I am also the Head of the Training Unit
of the Denim Designers Association. I also continue my masters education in Istanbul Technical
University Textile Engineering Department. That means I am both technologist and trainer, and
student of denim.
2. What is your opinion about somebody from the field teaching at a
university?
Although Turkey ranks among the first countries in denim fabrics, denim washing and denim
production in the world, it still has not achieved a sound accomplishment when it comes to denim
buying, sourcing and trendsetting. That is because of the fact that there is no denim education in
high schools, universities or fashion academies. Since denim requires special dye compositions
and artistic washing processes, denim training was handled by training departments in private
companies up until now. We, as LC Waikiki, wanted to focus on this subject for the first time in
Turkey within the framework of our cooperation with universities. We have begun to give denim
lessons at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University for the first time in Turkey as a result of the
cooperation between LC Waikiki and the university. By doing so, we are able to combine the vast
artistic and academic knowledge of the distinctive scholars with our sectorial experiences, and to
deliver this combination to students. I am so happy that we can introduce denim and show its
artistic features to textile and fashion design students, and let them enter this field. We can
develop talents who are educated about denim academically and attached emotionally to denim. I
am so excited to be able to see the fruits of our work within a short time, thanks to this project.
3. How much interested are students in denim washing design?
We have put this project into practice with contributions by Dear Ms. Assoc. Prof. Nuray Er Bıyıklı
from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Fine Arts Faculty Textile and Fashion Design Department.
She left her Fabric Composition course entirely to denim and gave me full authority to teach. I
would like to thank dear scholar for that. Of course, design students’ knowledge on denim was as
same as customers. For them, denim was just something they buy and love to wear. But then,
after seeing the world within denim, they liked it very much, they fell in love. I always think that
denim designer is like a sculptor. Just like a sculptor who first selects the stone or wood he will
working on and then reveals the beauty in that material by sculpting with his knowledge and skill,

2. denim is a similar artistic creation. I tried to show this to students and teach them about it. After
they saw it and started to learn, they combine it with their talents and unbelievably beautiful things
began to appear. Now, the students who have heard and seen this are long for taking the next
term’s denim course. I will continue my lectures in the second term under the course name Fabric
Composition. After that, Mimar Sinan University plans to continue delivering these Denim Design
courses and other similar courses starting from the 2016-2017 Fall term.
4. Did you share with them any denim washing secret which unknown to
anyone? Could you tell us a little bit about that for denim aficionados?
Students learnt especially about denim fabric dying and how we can construct it. To this extent,
they learnt which fabrics to pick and which washing processes bring the color shades of their
choice. Seriously, there are a few people who actually can combine these two elements. Apart
from denim fabrics and washing, they gained considerable knowledge about denim trendsetting,
trend keeping, buying and sourcing. Although these things are not rare to know, having all these
things together requires long years of experience, which rarely can be concentrated in a person
and are even harder to observe in a design student. Consequently, students have come to a level
where they can do all desired denim processes manually at home.
5. What will the new trends for the new season in denim? Could you give
us a few tips?
New seasonal trends will include laser-destroyed denim designs and patterns. Besides, there will
be a whole lot of denims looking like jersey and knitwear. Instead of light fabrics which are fit for
shirts, we will see more heavy fabrics and heavy washing. We will also see denim products made
of draft and jacquard fabrics. Apart from appearance, we will see the eco-wash technique. By this
technique, it is possible to obtain the desired effect by minimal amount of water, chemicals and
processing time.