Undp - Argande

Argande is the beautiful goddess of the Kingdom of Commagene, who in the ancient times, ruled the territory of Mesopotamia. Her name has been resuscitated today by the Southeastern women of Turkey. “Innovations for Women’s Empowerment in the GAP Region ” gathers its products under the Argande brand in a joint project launched May 2008 by the GAP Regional Development Administration and the UNDP with financing from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency to socially and economically empower women. The project supports women’s participation in labour markets, re-branding of Southeast Anatolia, and creation of innovative sales and marketing opportunities. Through the creation of the Argande collection, around 100 women have been employed in ateliers established in Batman and Mardin. The clothes and assessories are manufactured by women of Southeast and created under the volunteered support of MUDO, one of Turkey’s biggest and most innovative retail companies. Combining Anatolian motifs and local fabrics with forward-looking styling of leading fashion designers such as Alex Akimoğlu, Aida Pekin, Günseli Türkay and Rojin Aslı Polat, Argande collection is accessible in 17 MUDO elite stores in 7 provinces, achieving growth in volume every new season with sales revenues fully transferred to the women producers of the Argande brand in Southeast Anatolia.