Defne Koz

Defne Koz is co-founder and creative director of Koz Susani Design, an award-winning, innovative studio based in Chicago, with Marco Susani, where she designs iconic, emotionally engaging, innovative products and experiences.

Born in Turkey and raised professionally in Italy, Koz studied at the Domus Academy in Milan.

Her idea of design is influenced by her training in Ettore Sottsass’ Studio by the combination of her Turkish and Italian cultures, and by her curiosity for very different product types.

Her interests span from humanizing new technologies to rediscovering the tradition of hand-made products. Common to all her projects are her distinctive design language and the research on the sensorial qualities of materials.

Working along the edges of a triangle that consists of Turkey, Italy, and the US, Defne synthesizes Turkish aesthetic values with Italian design philosophy,

Since she co-founded Koz Susani Design, Defne has been awarded many prestigious design awards thanks to her design principles that defy areas of specialization, making her capable in almost every other subcategory.

Koz believes that a designer’s true mission is to go beyond “shaping an object” and produce ideas about the future and bring them to life.