A family legacy: Nobel laureate Acemoğlu's grandfather founded Turkey's first modern shoe factory!

The Nobel Prizes, awarded in the name of Alfred Nobel to honor those who serve humanity, have perhaps created as much of an agenda in Turkey as they have since 2015. The reason, undoubtedly, was that the prize in the field of economics was deemed worthy of Turkish-Armenian scholar Daron Acemoğlu.

Following Orhan Pamuk, who brought Turkey its first Nobel Prize in 2006 in the field of literature, Aziz Sancar won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2015. This time, the address of the Nobel was the field of economics, the source of the problems that Turkey has been unable to solve for years.

Prof. Dr. Daron Acemoğlu, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of the world's most prestigious higher education institutions, was awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, along with his colleagues James A. Robinson and Simon Johnson.

In the statement made by the Nobel Committee, the following expressions were included regarding the justification for the award:

"Societies with a weak rule of law and institutions that exploit their population do not generate growth or change for the better. The laureates' research helps us understand why."

WHO IS DARON ACEMOĞLU?

Following the Nobel recognition of Daron Acemoğlu, who has conducted studies on political economy, economic development, income and wage inequality, and the relationship between technology and progress, many answers have been given to the question "Who is Daron Acemoğlu?"

It has been written and reported that his father, Kevork Acemoğlu, was a famous commercial lawyer who was involved in the circles of YÖN Magazine, and his mother, İrma Acemoğlu, was the principal of the Aramyan Uncuyan Armenian School in Kadıköy and was interested in literature.

It has also emerged that Daron Acemoğlu's grandfather, Togo Acemyan, was the founder of TOGO, one of the most famous shoe brands of its time. Togo Acemyan founded the TOGO brand in 1937 and began selling leather goods, as well as bags and suitcases imported from Italy, in the first store he opened in Beyoğlu, Istanbul.

While TOGO became a store favored by the middle class in Istanbul, grandfather Acemyan founded Turkey's first modern shoe factory in Ankara in the 1940s. When the calendar showed 1944, Togo Acemyan transferred the company to the Kuşgöz family, who produced shoes under the Gülbahar brand in Ankara.

Togo Acemyan, an active figure in the Armenian community, was among the founders of the Pangaltı High School Alumni Association in 1946. This association holds the distinction of being the first association founded by graduates of minority schools in Turkey. Along with Acemyan, the founders of the association also included the poet Zareh Yaldızcıyan, known by the name Zahrad, who passed away in 2007.

Togo Acemyan also served as the president of the association in the years 1949-1950-1951-1952. In the years 1964-1965, the presidency was held by Togo Acemyan's son, Daron Acemoğlu's father, Kevork Acemoğlu...

IT HAD COME TO THE AGENDA WITH THE WORKERS' PROTEST

The rest of the story is told by Ahmet Akkuş, the current owner of Togo, in an interview he gave...

Following the death of Yaşar Kuşgöz, who bought TOGO from Togo Acemoğlu, in 1999, his son Ahmet Kuşgöz has been trying to keep the brand alive.

In order to continue the popular brand of the 1990s, Ahmet Kuşgöz focused on retail sales. He even opened a store in Galeria in Bakırköy, which was Turkey's first shopping mall. However, as Togo weakened over the years, its stores closed one by one.

During this process, TOGO had come to the attention of the Turkish public with workers seeking their rights. In 2012, workers who were fired for being members of the Turkish Leather Workers' Union organized protests in front of the TOGO factory in Ankara and some of its stores.

On the other hand, the site of the TOGO factory is now occupied by the TOGO Towers, which belong to former Ankara Chamber of Industry President Sinan Aygün and have been on the agenda for demolition for years.

When the calendar showed 2017, the TOGO brand changed hands once again. With the purchase of the brand by Ahmet Akkuş, who operates in the footwear sector, the once-famous brand founded by Daron Acemoğlu's grandfather, Togo Acemoğlu, has been carried to the present day.