Unifree Duty Free celebrates inspiring collaboration with Istanbul Technical University
The partnership with the university’s Industrial Design Department offers young designers a platform to bring their ideas to life
Unifree Duty Free has launched a collaboration with Istanbul Technical University (ITU) Industrial Design Department, offering young designers an inspiring platform to bring their ideas to life.
As part of the project, second-year students from ITU’s Industrial Design Department visited Unifree Duty Free stores at Istanbul Airport to observe store layouts, product selections, and display techniques.
Following their on-site visit, students created designs that blended local cultural elements with a contemporary design language, combining aesthetics and functionality together, drawing inspiration from their field observations.
Throughout the process, the students demonstrated not only strong design thinking but also a deep awareness of social and environmental responsibility. While some projects focused on reusing materials and reducing waste, others offered creative display concepts that merged traditional craftsmanship with modern techniques. According to Unifree Duty Free, these visionary approaches provided a powerful glimpse into the future of design.
At the end of the project, students presented their work to the Unifree Duty Free Executive Board alongside their faculty members. The presentations featured a wide array of creative concepts aimed at enriching the overall store experience and increasing the visibility of locally inspired and sustainable products among international travelers.
Korhan Öz, Unifree Duty Free, said, “We were truly inspired by the students’ ability to combine cultural heritage with environmental awareness in their projects. Their vision, grounded in creativity and responsibility, offers a promising look into the future of retail design. At Unifree Duty Free, sustainability is a core pillar of our long-term value strategy. We are committed to minimizing our environmental footprint, supporting local producers, and redefining the retail experience using sustainable materials and responsible operations. We are delighted to be involved in such a project that further reinforces our goal of producing creative and sustainable solutions.”
In a joint statement, the project team members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özge Çelikoğlu, Asst. Prof. Dr. Elif Küçüksayraç, Lecturer Dr. L. N. Ece Arıburun Kırca, and Research Assistants Ahmet Yazıcı, Oğuzhan Güngör, and Zeynep S. Akman from the ITU Department of Industrial Design, added, “The conceptual proposals we developed with approximately 60 of our students for Unifree Duty Free’s 680-square-meters pilot store at Istanbul Airport, representing over 1,000 domestic and global brands and the world’s largest duty-free area with an area of 56,000 square meters, were insightful for us as well.
“Our focus was on our own cultural heritage. Our innovative projects, which uniquely interpret traditional Turkish products and include solutions for product, packaging, and display units, are currently under evaluation by Unifree Duty Free.”
With this partnership, Unifree Duty Free said it not only supports the next generation of design talent but also aims to foster the development of the Turkish Products category through forward-thinking, sustainability-oriented solutions. Selected projects are planned to be brought to life in actual retail spaces, giving visibility to young designers’ visions and enabling them to make a tangible impact through design.
