Founder & CEO of Think Fashion Group Companies - Özlem Şahin

 Özlem Şahin – Biography

Özlem Şahin is a serial global fashion entrepreneur, strategist, and dreamer who has dedicated her career to redefining the future of fashion through
purpose-driven trade, culture, and creativity. She is the Founder & CEO of Think Fashion Group Companies and the Founding Partner of Global Modest Fashion Weeks by Think Fashion, the world’s most prestigious event series dedicated to modest fashion, with a media reach of more than 2 billion since its inception.

Since 2016, Global Modest Fashion Weeks has traveled to some of the world’s most dynamic cultural and fashion capitals — including Istanbul, London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Jakarta, Abu Dhabi, and Riyadh — completing 10 successful editions and reaching over 100 million audiences onsite and digitally. More than a fashion showcase, the platform empowers brands, women, and communities by providing authentic, inclusive, and sustainable narratives to a truly global stage.

Within Think Fashion Group Companies, Modest Fashion Weeks stands as the flagship brand, while Think Fashion Trade serves as the commercial backbone of the ecosystem — catalyzing business growth with purpose-driven strategies that help fashion brands expand globally through innovative platforms, cross-border opportunities, and strategic industry connections.

A believer in holistic and purpose-driven thinking, Özlem creates ventures that answer real market needs. Her journey began with a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering in Turkey and a Master’s degree in Leadership in Italy. Combining her analytical foundation with creative vision, she launched her own company and has since become one of the leading voices advocating for a more sustainable, inclusive, and democratized fashion industry.

Özlem’s leadership has been recognized globally: she is part of the Business of Fashion’s BOF500 list of the most influential people shaping the fashion world and has been featured in Vogue Italy, Vogue Arabia, The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC, CNN, Harper’s Bazaar, and Business of Fashion. Under her leadership, Think Fashion has generated over $50 million USD in direct trade value for brands and has been trusted by governments, global retailers, and industry leaders.

Beyond business, Özlem is also a creative storyteller. Her fashion film scenario “Red Coincidence”, produced by Elle Turkey, received an award — reflecting her talent in merging narrative, culture, and aesthetics.

Today, she champions a vision of fashion that does not belong only to giant corporations with oversized carbon footprints, but to all women shaped by diverse cultural and lifestyle backgrounds. Through the 3Cs of Think Fashion — Catalyze, Customize, and Culture — she continues to build a purpose-driven ecosystem that democratizes fashion, empowers local brands and SMEs, and creates the next global supply chain for sustainable, modest, and diverse fashion.