Onur Cobanli explains:
Reality is harsh; sometimes you just need good friends in high places; sometimes it is your own private friends and connections that carry forward your design career and sometimes your good designs help and of course if you have good designs as well as good connections success is almost inevitable. In the end, what could you do? Improve your design and socialize. It for sure feels not fair that some good designers are simply considered good or became famous because they had great friends, but now you know the truth, you can use it for your own good.