SOPHISTICATED SWEAT-MASKING

Combine one part curiosity, one part scientific mind, and one part creativity and you get Buket Değirmenci, vice president of business development at Ekoten, the premier Turkish fabric maker.

An inherent go-getter, Buket got her start at Ekoten about a decade ago as a fabric development engineer. Since then, she’s had roles leading teams and managing sales, and landed her current role in business development in 2024. She is constantly striving to understand what’s changing and how to respond to what’s next.

“For me, business development is not simply about responding to what customers ask for. It is about understanding their world deeply enough to anticipate what they may need next,” she told COOLMAX.com. “At Ekoten, we bring together engineering, R&D, design, and manufacturing expertise to develop sophisticated and novelty fabrics that are not only technically high-performing, but also have a strong aesthetic and unique appeal.”

Ekoten, headquartered in İzmir, Türkiye, is a premium textile factory supplying top-quality, multifunctional fabrics to high-end fashion, sportswear, workwear, and outdoor apparel markets worldwide. Combining leading technology, advanced research, and unrivalled manufacturing expertise, Ekoten lives on the cutting edge and leans into the latest fibers and textile techniques.

Ekoten recently adopted COOLMAX CloakFX™ fiber, a unique innovation that masks the appearance of sweat on fabrics, and has used fibers from across The LYCRA Company’s family of brands for years. In this Voice of the Expert conversation, we talked to Buket about why Ekoten chose COOLMAX CloakFX™ fiber and the value of the overall partnership with The LYCRA Company.

How would you describe the spirit of Ekoten? What defines it as a company?

I would describe Ekoten as curious, agile, and highly solution and customer oriented.

Innovation is very much part of our DNA, but for us innovation is not simply about creating something new. It is about creating something relevant that solves a real problem, creates a better consumer experience, or gives our customers a new opportunity.

We have developed particularly strong expertise in stretch and high-stretch fabrics, including leggings and performance-oriented constructions, in both the circular and warp knit categories. This expertise gives us a very good understanding of how fabric behaves on the body, from stretch and recovery to comfort, fit, and movement.

At the same time, we constantly monitor the pulse of the market. We identify needs before they become mainstream and then combine our fabric engineering capabilities with design and technology to turn those insights into new concepts.

I think that combination of technical expertise plus state-of-the-art production technologies, creativity, and market anticipation is one of the things that truly defines Ekoten. We don't simply follow trends. We study where the market is going, explore what technology can make possible, and then use our engineering and design capabilities to turn that insight into sophisticated fabric solutions.

Ekoten and The LYCRA Company are close collaborators; you have many of our fibers in your current fabric range. What is it about our fibers and our company that inspires you to continue working with us?

For me, the value of our relationship goes beyond the fiber itself. It is about what we can create together.

The LYCRA Company has a strong culture of innovation and a deep understanding of stretch technologies. That is very important for a company like Ekoten, because we are constantly looking for ways to push the boundaries of comfort, performance, fit, and design.

Apart from the continuous innovation provided by The LYCRA Company, its extensive marketing team and strong connections with brands and retailers enable us to identify key opportunities and develop customized joint projects. This combined strength allows us to clearly understand market needs and deliver tailored solution packages that meet customer expectations effectively.

What I particularly appreciate is the combination of technology, consistency, and innovation. The LYCRA Company’s fibers allow us to develop fabrics with specific performance characteristics while giving our designers and customers more freedom to explore new constructions.

Let’s talk about your adoption of COOLMAX CloakFX™ fiber, which masks the appearance of sweat on fabrics. What is your initial impression of the fiber? How is it working in your fabric?

Our initial impression has been very positive. What immediately caught our attention was that the technology addresses a very visible consumer concern (sweat marks) in a very sophisticated way.

In performance apparel, moisture management is obviously important, but the consumer experience goes beyond simply staying dry. How a garment looks during and after activity is also part of the performance experience.

This is where COOLMAX CloakFX™ fiber becomes particularly interesting for us. It gives us an opportunity to approach sweat visibility from the fabric-design perspective, while still maintaining the stretch, comfort, and aesthetic qualities that are important in our performance fabrics.

From a fabric-development point of view, we are particularly interested in how we can combine this functionality with our expertise in high-stretch constructions to create fabrics that perform well both technically and visually.

In what kind of garments do you see your COOLMAX CloakFX™ fabrics being used?

I see a very strong opportunity in performance activewear, particularly in garments where sweat visibility can affect the consumer's confidence — such as leggings, fitted tops, sports bras, and other close-to-body performance garments.

This is especially relevant for high-intensity activities where the garment is expected to perform while also maintaining a clean and sophisticated appearance.

But I don't think the opportunity is limited to traditional sportswear. We see the boundaries between activewear, athleisure, and everyday apparel becoming increasingly fluid. Consumers want garments that can move with them throughout the day, so technologies that combine performance with aesthetics can create interesting opportunities across multiple categories.

For Ekoten, leggings are naturally an important area because of our strong expertise in high-stretch constructions. Combining that expertise with new performance technologies allows us to continuously develop the next generation of stretch fabrics. Another strong option for this fabric is polo shirts, which demand a high level of performance and sophistication.

Are there any other fabrics with our fibers that you are particularly excited about? Any developments we should be looking out for?

We are particularly interested in the next generation of high-stretch fabrics where comfort, performance, aesthetics, and adaptability come together.

Our strength at Ekoten is in taking a technology and asking, “What else can we do with it?” We are constantly experimenting with yarn combinations, fabric constructions, finishing techniques, and design concepts to create something that feels new to the market.

I also see a strong future in fabrics that offer more functionality without compromising softness, aesthetics, or versatility. Consumers don't necessarily want a garment that feels more technical; they want a garment that simply performs better while still looking and feeling beautiful.

We are always looking a little further ahead. By the time a trend becomes obvious, we are already asking ourselves what comes next.

Thank you for spending this time with us, Buket! We can’t wait to see what’s next. 

You can see and feel Ekoten’s fabrics with COOLMAX CloakFX™ fiber at Performance Days Munich, October 13-14, and Functional Fabric Fair in Portland, October 26-28.