Ebru Uygun
Ebru Uygun was born in Istanbul and was deeply moved from a young age to improve the quality of life for young people in her country. In 1994 she founded TOCEV to guarantee material and moral support to children who wish to be educated in Turkey but face socio-economic challenges. Uygun and TOCEV are responsible for raising the mandatory years of schooling from five to twelve years for Turkish students across the country. She was awarded an Eisenhower Fellowship in 2010. In addition to her work in advocacy, Uygun is well known for her inspiring art and has been featured in exhibits around the world. The artist's work is built on the traditional Turkish art of Ebru, the art of creating striking, colorful patterns by brushing colored pigment onto water and then transposing the pattern onto paper and textiles. Uygun is credited with modernizing traditional ebru designs and bringing this classic art form into today’s world.
Rossella Ramanzini
Growing up in an Italian family full of artists, Rossella Ramanzini was destined for the arts. At the age of 16, Rossella taught herself how to paint after spending hours in her uncle's studio, captivated by his unique technique of painting tables with geometric and graphic patterns layered with colors superimposed on one another. Canvas just wasn't enough for the eager artist, so over the years Rossella turned to painting luxurious silk squares, which soon caught the eye of other artists and brands who sought out her expertise and precision in printing to turn their artworks into beautiful scarves.