A thriving talent: Nihan Peker

The relevant abstract she designs around and the way she makes her clothes outstanding render Nihan Peker remarkable

At the very begining of his career, after some education in Milan, London and New York Ümit Benan had stopped in İstanbul to give it a try. He stayed over a year, worked for some well-known companies and then had decided that to be a branded designer in İstanbul is exremely challenging. So he moved back to New York. You may google for the rest of the story, if you havent heard of him yet... 
His withdrawal creates a question mark about how the fashion business works in İstanbul. In an interview, he said "In Turkey, companies see designers as any other ordinary workers, not a creative force behind the brand. I just couldn't see a future for myself"


It's common that coming up design students who fancy about the glamorous catwalks and a big branded name like Prada or Christian Dior disappoint after the graduation when they see not that fancy side of the business. While most of the newly-grad designers enter into big brands, a few of them choose a more challenging path: To go his/her own way.


The negative attitude gets even harder to stand without a sustained financial support. To find the right tailors and patternmakers or ateliers that understand your demands, the right contacts that let you showcase or sell your products... At the middle of all these challenges It turns into a tedious journey.


Therefore when we witness a creative talent blossoms we should hail, at least, his/her courage. And if this person, like Nihan Peker, has a story to tell without comprimising all the seem-to-be hard to swallow details for the demand of superfiacial populist eyes we should claim his/her thriving existance.


This year, after her fashion design master at Istituto Marangoni, Nihan Peker is back from Italy. Her second ready-to-wear collection is on sale, now at a concept boutique named Laudromat.
She named her last collection as "Uyandırma Ayini" (wake-up ritual). This name is part of a whole consept she keeps to go on all through her previous collections named, orderly, "Palyaçolar" (the clowns), "Semazenler" (whirling sufi derwishes), "Paradoks" (the paradox) and "Hamal" (street porter). She explains that the culture she comes from is her main inspiration. All these names are the words which haunted her during the research for the right fabrics.


She declares that her designs are her self-expression. the clothes are basicly affected by her inner world (paradoxical, sort of depressive, monochrome (mostly white) with lots of strings...) rather than global trends. She defines her clothes experimental but she also wants to stay casually wearable.


As the economy recovers a new demand is emerging for the sophisticated brands. Before the crisis it was all about logos, shiny patterns, brands who talks aloud on behalf of their customers. And now, after a short back-to-basics movement, cutomers once again want brands say something on behalf of the wearer, but this time in elegance.
That's because Nihan Peker's plain but outstanding clothes, all above the global trends, clarifies post-crisis zeitgeist: recognizable desings without any logo.




Uyandırma Ayini:

Interview:Nihan Peker

Clothes as a way of self-expression: 

Well-defined, well-cut and monochrome...

After some education and internship in Italy you are back to İstanbul, and decided to fly with your own wings; what's new?
The recent collection Uyandırma Ayini (wake-up ritual) is my second ready-to-wear collection among total five. Previous collections which were mostly enperimental and not intended for the mass market had tendency towards to haute couture but now i'm more reachable. This is what i want right now: To be consumed casually. 

Your collections have always been abstractly well defined with cultural references, how do you decide a concept?
That's right, every collection has a unique theme. And these themes spring naturally in the design process. I always start with researching the right clothes for the garments. Time i spend for the research is pretty short but i construct all the concept at this very limited time.
When i was preparing for Hamal collection, i spent so much time in Eminönü. I saw a lot of hamal (street porter) there. How they carry their 'küfe' (a very large basket carried on the back by street porters) and how the küfe itself is woven inspired me. I'm basically interested in traditional Turkish culture. For instance, i have a big respect for all the aspects of sufi culture and i reflected this fascination at 'Semazenler' with writing and other details placed on pieces of clothing. 

Is there any chracteristics you especially give a place in your desings?
In general, i am not in love with colours. All the clothes tend to be monochrome. I always design things i certainly would like to wear on and that's because my designs mostly are well-cut, plain and black and white. The collections are basically consisted of two main parts: well-cut, masculine white shirts (yes, i love white shirts very very much) and disproportionately cut or woven pieces. 

Each garment is unique. Even the sizes make a difference. Sometimes people who try a different size of the same piece say that that is not looking the way other one is. They are right, all of the pieces look different on a different body. And because of this disproportion the wearer may adjust its look according to her taste with simple accessories.

So which words do you think describe your style best?
Plain and monochrome; experimental but deliberate...


What's your favourite texture?
Organza. Some of the dresses are made of organza in this spring collection. They're wearable in a daily routine. Actually i'm more interested in threads rather than fabrics. After all fabrics are woven with threads. And to emphasize this admiration of mine i use strings in a very direct way on clothes. Sometimes i tear a cloth into pieces just to make new strings... 


Who is your favourite designer?
Yasemin Özeri, Öykü Thurston, Elif Cığızoğlu, Özgür Masur, Ümit Ünal and Jil Sander...


What's the most important challenge a young designer who tries to stand on her/his own legs is supposed to deal with?
A place for a permenant retail. Now, for the last two collections i sell my designs at Laundromat. But Laundromat has a changing concept over the time and that's because it's not clear that how long more i may keep selling there. The revenue i get from the sales is significantly absorbed by the expenditures of production. That's a circle hard to break.

Because of this reason most designers get into business by working under the name of a big brand. Why didnt you choose that path?
Because i want to express myself. Even though i could get a chance to work for a creatively driven brand, my role as a beginner would be so limited. Besides i feel a very strong energy inside me to go on my own way... 

What's the most important difficulty you face during the production process?
I've no contract with a single atelier. I work with several independent tailors and patternmakers. That's because it's really hard to keep an eye on all of the goods during the production. And sometimes dirty results of the clothes or inadequate stitching could be a problem.

Who do you think would like to wear your designs on?
Women who appreciate distinctive and delicate design...


What we should expect in the near future?
All of my five collections were constructed around a specific idea. The whole idea is developing even more right now. 
For the next collection you'll see more shirts... White will be dominant colour, along with a touch of beige. 
The current collection is "Wake-up ritual" and the next one will be named "Narcosis". It'll be a calm and dignified collection.
I imagine and wish to use a hospital gallery for an exibition. Everything will be white and garments will be worn by sculptures. I hope it comes true.