Turkish Fashion Going International

Rifat Ozbek in VOGUE , Huseyin Caglayan on the cover of ELLE -Turkish

designers are emerging at a much faster pace than the Japanese did in

the mid seventies. Atil Kutoglu, a Vienna based Turk, has been dressing

the Austrian aristocracy for almost a decade. Paris based Dice Kayek is

striking stronger every season at the garden of the Louvre Museum.

Almost a dozen young fashion designers are finishing the top schools

like St. Martins of London or Parson's of New York. World level major

swim wear manufacturer Zeki Triko is in the editorials of hundreds of

fashion magazines globe wide. Bahar Korcan is stirring Europe from her

Istanbul address. The miracle is not only at the design end; the huge

textile industry serving both local and overseas* needs are forcing the

new boundaries harder world wide with over $1 billion exports to the

United States alone.

As Passport, the famous luxury newsletter for the high-end American

travelers said, "The best you can find" lies at the amazing shops of

Vakko, Mudo, Park Bravo and many others together with the world's

top-ranking Ralph Lauren and Burberry in the middle of Akmerkez, the

number one shopping mall not only in Turkey, but Europe. Istanbul,

hosting world's biggest Emporio Armani store neighboring to Louis

Vuitton and Gianni Versace, is under the invasion of many popular names

like Hugo Boss, Gucci and DKNY.

The third millennium seems to be able to witness a much wider

collaboration of Turks in every field conceivable and fashion will

definitely be one of the flagships. If Rossini had to re-write his

famous opera Il Turco in Italia it would be Il Turco Everywhere and

wouldn't that be delightful to listen from Ceccilia Bartoli.

Kamil Sukun,

Publisher, Who's Who in Turkey,

Producer, VizonShow & Istanbul Fashion Awards, Istanbul Recitals

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