From September 11-14, 2018, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Istanbul took to the runways at the Zorlu Performing Arts Center.
All Photos by: Ferhat Zupcevic / Getty Images for IMG.
Offsite at the KüçükÇiftlik Park, an event venue that welcomes concerts and festivals, designer Ece Kavran showcased her URUN Spring/Summer 2019 Collection.
Designer Ece Kavran.
It was a fitting locale for a theatrical show that featured live music, dancing and a fire-lit runway.
PLENUM, the designer’s Spring/Summer 2019 collection, was a celebration of the female body—one that looked at the complete form down to the bones, organs and muscle tissues.
The architectural collection included pieces in a muted color palette, varying hues of nude, black and white, with delicate, airy and sheer fabrics that allowed for plenty of movement.
True to Kavran’s aesthetic, the collection was modern and minimalist, but garments were juxtaposed by larger than life hats that flowed far away from the face and neck.
Silhouettes were soft and flowy but mostly kept close to the body, a testament to the designer’s celebration of the complete human form.
Born in Istanbul, Ece Kavran represents the majority of designers who show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Istanbul: native to Turkey.
Born in 1989, the designer, who grew up around artists, showed interest in the arts from a young age.
She ventured away from home to study architecture in Florence, Italy. She then attended Polimoda, a private fashion school in Florence, where she studied Fashion Brand Management and shifted her focus to the world of fashion.
Upon her graduation, Kavran returned to Istanbul and in 2014, she launched the label URUN.
She started designing minimalist and structured pieces for men and women, while concentrating on impeccable craftsmanship.
Still today, Kavran sticks to her roots, her clothing crafted in Turkey, and she looks to Turkish suppliers for textiles.
Istanbul isn’t generally recognized as a major fashion destination, but Turkish designers and Mercedes-Benz seem invested in changing that narrative.
Fashion has become an important contributor to the Turkish economy, but designers produce largely for domestic clientele rather than for an international base.
So how can Turkey shift from a country that’s widely known for manufacturing clothing to a global fashion city like New York, London or Miami?
Year after year, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Istanbul introduces emerging designers and showcases their more experienced counterparts to a growing audience.
This is the 12th season of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Istanbul, and proof of its progress was all around.
It drew an international crowd of renowned journalists from publications including the likes of Vogue China, GQ Japan and Forbes UK as well as representatives from Saks Fifth Avenue, Barney’s and other major retailers.
This year, Red Bull, Reebok, and Bioderma, among others, joined Mercedes-Benz as sponsors.
The IMG produced Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Istanbul Spring/Summer 2019 ushered in more than 70 designers. ■
