civan located in the heart of istanbul s antiques district çukurcuma, menswear label civan is surrounded by locals who stall out their traditional furniture on the streets, painters who capture the neighbourhood in still lives and travellers who visit novelist orhan pamuk s museum of innocence. the atmosphere on the street translates seamlessly into the mission of the brand: bringing back old turkish tradition. design duo bahar gözkün and kerem küçükgürel are not only inspired by the rich history of turkey, they also want to breathe new life into ancient turkish craftsmanship that is widely known for its quality. by reviving craftsmanship in their tailor-made clothes for young and powerful men, bahar and kerem want to send a signal to the fashion industry. fashion has become fast food, says bahar. it s something you wear one month and throw away the next. i don t find that respectful. that s why we make everything by hand, because when you use your hands you put respect into the designs. the same goes for their vibrant neighbourhood. as the fashion industry grows, big fashion chains push boundaries and start to find their way to underground and avant garde neighbourhoods. because there is still no governmental protection for these areas, bahar is scared that the neighbourhood will start to lose its identity. you have to keep this area cultural, with local shops, movies and theaters. you shouldn t kill that with big shopping malls. www.civanblogging.com
01 ta la ga 21
bahar korçan award winning fashion designer bahar korçan was the first to open a store in galata. in her opinion, istanbul needed a shopping area for local designers. after her, many well-known turkish designers followed, transforming the former jewish neighbourhood dating from the ottoman empire into the soho of istanbul. bahar describes her designs as casual, comfortable, yet original and smart. nature and the circle of life play a big role in her collections. her mission is to create garments that interpret the changes the world goes through and highlight the impact of humans. for example, the colours she uses are full of symbolism. greens stand for hope and deep black for pessimism. the thousands of stories hidden under every stone we step on in istanbul also form a big inspiration for bahar. for the istanbul design biennale 2012, she presented an installation in which videos of her experiences in the city are projected on clothes, showing the negative and positive sides of urban development. according to bahar, the big advantage of turkish designers is the country s centuries of experience in textile manufacturing. while the new generation of designers teach the tricks of the trade from the established manufacturers, the craftsmen have access to the design process right next door. it is this combination that shines light on turkey s uniqueness in fashion design and as a ready-towear producer, bahar said about turkish textiles. www.baharkorcan.org
02 ta la ga 22
ümit ünal ümit ünal is a contemporary designer continuing a sense of tradition by using only turkish fabrics like wool, silk, linen, cotton and specialized embroidery done by old craftsmen in his atelier. located in a traditional building in galata, he creates unisex fashion garments in an oversized fit that you can adapt to your body. this is a very modern approach, and was even more so when ümit started his brand about fifteen years ago. although his small company exists for a while now, he is still mainly known by insiders. even his products created out of (inter-)national collaborations, for example with designer bahar korçan and novelist uygar sirin, are seen as true turkish treasures. next to fashion, ümit also designed a colour trend book and furniture. in these modern designs, he reflects imperfection and an emotional sensitivity for the passing of time. his pieces are sold at small fairs by an international group of clients, ranging in age, who feel connected to his design. he plans to go along with modernity by opening a webshop, while maintaining his signature style based on heritage and emotions. www.umitunal.com
03 ta la ga 23
gönül paksoy gönül paksoy s boutique in the heart of nisantası,, seems more like an art gallery than a regular store. the minimalistic furniture and white walls let the aesthetics of every single piece in her boutique speak for themselves. gönül s work tells a story of turkish heritage, by embedding tradition, culture and ancient craftsmanship in her work. in her designs, she combines the refined tastes of the past with the needs of today. born in an artistic family, but with a background in chemical engineering and natural dyes, her extensive knowledge and sense of cultural aesthetics are reflected in her one of a kind pieces. all of gönül s garments are handmade and mix ancient ottoman fabrics found on antiques markets with modern natural dyed fabrics. she combines old with new. according to her japanese customers, her designs present timeless simplicity. a piece of twenty years ago can be easily combined with a garment she designs today or tomorrow. next to her clothing and jewellery designs, she has published twelve books, including a number of cookbooks because food plays an important role in turkish culture. according to gönül, they are not just cookbooks, but design books. in one of her books she translates her traditional culinary taste together with edible beads. staying close to herself and her culture constitutes the backbone of her work.
ı 01 tas, n s, a ni 24
günes öztarakçı, günes, öztarakçı was one of the first retailers who opened a shop in the now famous fashion area nisantası.,, because günes, wanted to be be away from the big bazaar and crowded shopping streets, she decided to open her store for traditional turkish carpets and kilims in the then quiet residential neighbourhood. 28 years and countless other shops later, she s still going strong and has customers from all around the world. günes, started out in a small shop, selling about 25 carpets. at that time, the back of the store was a workshop with a loom where she showed her customers how carpets were made and repaired. this educational insight is still very important for her today, her priority is not sales but exhibiting turkish heritage and making sure the techniques are still passed on. because lately other countries started to reproduce and imitate traditional turkish carpets, these have become available for lower prices making the quality go down and the turkish traditional workshops disappear one by one. günes, sees it as her mission to educate young people so the craftsmanship will live on, because according to her trends will always pass by, but tradition remains. www.gunescarpet.com
ı 02 tas, n s, a ni 25
beymen with 30 multibrand stores in 3 countries, fashion retailer beymen is considered a national treasure. initially, it started as a clothing store for men by the boyner family in the late 1960s. soon, beymen purchased other brands and became the first retail store in turkey that fulfilled the upcoming demand for international fashionable products. beymen is known to offer more than 400 western luxury brands, but the company also produces fashion in turkey under labels such as beymen club, collection and academia, which are designed together with asli abbasoglu, a lecturer at ima. at beymen, turkish brands, high-end fashion and couture houses like dior and lanvin all come together. the store not only addresses the loyal customer, which varies from locals in nisantası,, to arabic millionaires in the luxurious istinye park shopping mall, but also to the younger generation who appreciate the brand values rooted into beymen. while they profile themselves as western and modern, many traditional turkish aspects can be found in the store. marble floors in the shops remind you of historical local buildings and one can find ottoman style woodwork in the shops. despite the impressive size of beymen s stores, they aim to offer consumers a personal experience by providing a personal assistant, tailor services and turkish coffee. this combination between old and new elements makes beymen a unique shopping concept. www.beymen.com
26 nisantası,, 03