Lessons from fashion's free culture

Is fashion industry better without copyright protection? 

Johanna Blakley will convince you that it is

"Copyright law's grip on film, music and software barely touches the fashion industry ... and fashion benefits in both innovation and sales, says Johanna Blakley. At TEDxUSC 2010, she talks about what all creative industries can learn from fashion's free culture."

Ümit Benan's Inspiration Photos Project

With his latest Inspiration Photos Project, Ümit Benan puts a strong emphisize on his
neo-macho man style

Ümit Benan had started his career in Milan displaying a long bearded, old man as a brand image, advocating that people shouldn't be judged by their appearances, an attitude which helps him to distinguish himself from the rest in an industry mostly relevant with the images over-stylized.

Now, after several years, he still keeps his trajectory straight, staying loyal to the core of his brand attitude, with kind of images from the low and diregarded side of the society.

His clothes are defined rough by appearance, (which is arguable in case of some collections such as the latest 2011 SS) and soft by other senses.

For the recent inspiration photos project, Ümit Benan collabrated with Serdar Bilgili, a high-profile businessman known with his b&w sensational portraits, displaying disabled people in emotional conditions.

And in this inspiration project, he shot men who are so apparent that they belong to the 'have-nots' side of the society, and has nothing to do with fashion streams.

Ümit Benan's this non-traditional fashion attitude has been praised by the main stream fashion journalists as much as the bloggers all around the world who are fascinated with the odd and undiscovered things.

Yet, I wonder, does his recent description about the-new-age-macho style reveal anything about what is coming-up next in men's fashion?

It's doubtful that whether Benan's oriental influenced designs go main-stream or not, but it's so clear that his aspiration has already begun to inspire those that lead the society forward.

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:

A brand opportunity: Oil wrestling

A potential brand which would associate with oil wrestling could get an opportunity 

to be a popular lifestyle menswear brand

I wonder why there is no menswear brand for youngsters in Turkey which associates with oil wrestling, a well-known but not wide spread traditional sport being played for centuries.

    It’s weird because it’s probable that any brand which would relate with oil wrestling could get a natural opportunity to have sponsorship with annual Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Organization, which is held in Edirne, a city several hours away from İstanbul and to get press coverage.

   Some may have doubts about being perceived kind of provincal when the brand relates with this organization -mostly attended by not-that-elite local inhabitants. But this raw image has another opportunity: Provenance.

   Oil wrestling has been played for centuries and it used to be very popular. That’s because it has a strong provenance which would help to get public attention.

   Recent years this sport has been in the focus of gay people all around the world because of its playing style. Their perception was like this: Two half naked macho men covered olive oil wrestles and they even do freely put their hands into their kısmets (the short pants players ought to wear)

   So here is another opportunity a potential brand could use: Even though the brand would have a ‘straight’ looking it may attract gay people at the same time. Like Abercrombie and Fitch it may generate a new kind of fraternity feeling.

Kırkpınar Oil Wrestlings is a natural source for Bruce Weber-like images:

Detailed shots in Boutique Closh

Atiye Sok. No:2 Nişantaşı/İSTANBUL

An Imaginary Brand: HAREM

I imagine a brand which associates with the old hedonistic lifestyle, once arguably lived behind the doors of Ottoman Harem!

Harem pants are among the hottest trends of 2010! It’s sure that we will see more and more orientalist designs for a good few years ahead because of the arab effect!

But It’s not only the design, i think what’s really exciting about Harem, as a concept, refering to the old times, is the feeling of intimacy.

I imagine an İstanbul based, prestigious, ready-to-wear brand, named HAREM which reflects the mystery and prestige of the daily life of Harem, once in Topkapi Palace!

Harem: a sacred place, dedicated only to women

In those old times, the woman of Harem, named ‘cariye’, was chosen and raised to be a member of this obscure club. Once they were accepted into the court, they stepped into a very protected, glamorous and previliged life.
It was so protected that the only man who can enter the doors of Harem was the sultan himself.
Cariyes were served the best of all, in return for serving their best to his majesty. The competition among the cariyes were harsh in order to become Sultan's favorite and give him a son.
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Because there is very little known about this confidential life of Harem, it has provoked a orgy-like lifestyle imagination in westerners' mind for centuries.

The brand i imagine is mainly built around this hedonistic perception.

‘The whetted desires’ are gonna be at the core of the brand concept!

It's all about the feeling of luxury, the old mysterious hedonism, and gaining power in a very closed society to be the sultan's favorite!

you may think the last statement is kind of chauvinist, but actually very little has changed since then and today women still have strong desire for gaining power to acquire what they want!

When you think about Ottoman lifestyle you would probably remember old-fashion costumes such as kaftans or harem pants.

Forget them.

For the brand, Harem, not the kind of garments which were used at the court is important. What are emphasized, along with the feeling, are the patterns. These old-time Ottoman patterns can be modernized and used as the reference point!

Also i would like the brand has an instore hammam and host a special 'hot night out!' (details of which left to your imagination!)