A Who's Who of Istanbul's Top Designers

As much as we're digital-first around here, we love a good guidebook. By which we mean an actual, hold-in-your-hand, made-of-paper book. (We've even written a few ourselves. Our latest was an award-winner.) Among the best we've ever seen is the Monday to Sunday Book series, a deep dive into curated experiences in a single city, created by our friends Seda Domaniç and Sinan Sökmen. Seda, a writer and editor based between Istanbul and Athens, was the founding editor-in-chief of Vogue Turkey. Her husband Sinan is the founder of the boutique travel agency Istanbul Tour Studio. In this excerpt from Monday to Sunday Istanbul, Seda explores the Turkish designers who make the Nişantaşı neighborhood so vibrant and interesting.

ISTANBUL — There’s no way to discover Nişantaşı without getting a deep and lasting impression of Turkey’s fashion scene and its many rising talents. Scattered all around the neighborhood are the boutiques, showrooms, and ateliers of some of the country’s most important designers and brands, which have successfully managed to extend their influence onto international realms.

Designer Mehtap Elaidi’s story began in 2000 with a collection of statement shirts that could be worn during the day and night. With the power of such simplicity, her ready-to-wear brand was built on a strong foundation, and all her accompanying pieces thereafter continued to express the beauty and timelessness of the highest quality cotton; organic and sustainable whenever possible. Playing with volumes and innovative cuts, the Elaidi collections, which can be viewed in her showroom in the beautiful Aziziye Palas Apartment, abide by the theme of conscious clothes for the unapologetic woman that will last a lifetime.

Visiting the showroom of Özgür Masur on busy Valikonağı Avenue is akin to visiting an elegant living room which happens to be filled with sophisticated floor-length dresses with inimitable details and a striking silhouette. Having established his own brand in 2008, Masur’s fine craftsmanship in his Prêt-à-Couture, Haute Couture, and Bridal collections exhibits a confluence of forms and colors with modern tailoring.

If colorful floral prints and embroidery are more your thing, then make sure to visit the Lug von Siga showroom at Narmanlı Apartment. Founded in 2010 by the designer Gül Ağış, the brand appeals to women who like to have fun with their wardrobe, with patterned bohemian tops, prairie dresses, and flowy skirts that bring on the summer.

More beautiful eccentricity can be found at Sudi Etuz, a brand created by the new-gen designer Şansım Adalı, who has already been selected as a “leading emerging designer” by Elle magazine. Adalı calls her designs street-couture with a hype touch, including flowing tulle dresses, sequined jumpsuits, and velvet jackets with Swarovski crystal fringe details. Nedret Taciroğlu is another famous haute couture designer of Turkey, whose NEDO boutique on Bostan Street can be visited to find elegant evening dresses for special occasions.

Another essential stop, FEY, is the boutique of Fatoş Yalın, Turkey’s first fashion editor. Inside, you’ll find an ever-updated collection that includes Yalın’s own designs as well as vintage pieces that she has collected from all over the world. From clothing to jewelry, shoes to bags, and even home accessories, everything in this boutique exudes the refined taste of a seasoned fashion editor. Mybestfriends is another young brand founded in 2011 by Ayşegül Afacan Köksal, whose boutique can be found on Abdi İpekçi Avenue. A brand for strong, independent women, Köksal designs day-to-night pieces that like to play with contrary details, especially feminine and masculine aesthetics.

On one of the residential backstreets, you’ll find the flagship store of Les Benjamins, an Istanbul-based lifestyle brand founded in 2011 by Bünyamin Aydın. With humble beginnings in the form of 30 printed T-shirts, the brand quickly grew with its vision of the contemporary East, appearing at Milan Fashion Week and currently being sold abroad at leading international department stores as well as through their flagship stores in New York and Dubai.

Another great shop for everyday stylish pieces for women is Muse for All, a brand created by Yasemin Öğün in 2019 highlighting timeless clothing of comfortable elegance. Among some other fashion stores of young and dynamic local brands in the neighborhood are Oopscool, New Arrivals, Ceren Ocak, and NewIn. For handcrafted leather handbags, a must-stop is the boutique of Manu Atelier on Atiye Street.

Of course, no introduction to the realm of Turkish fashion would be complete without Vakko, which began its life in 1934 with a small milliner’s shop opened by Vitali Hakko and moved on to produce Turkey’s first printed textiles. Since then, the brand has grown into one of Turkey’s most important luxury fashion houses, producing everything from its signature silk scarves to leather goods, accessories, clothing collections, bridalwear, chocolates, fragrances, and household items. V2K Designers is a sub-brand within Vakko stores, carrying a curated selection of contemporary collections from international and Turkish designers. Here, an emerging local brand to look out for is Siedrés.

No one should miss out on the jewelry collections of Begum Khan, a surreal world of dazzling flora and fauna bedecked in crystals and stones meant to be worn. Born into a family of Ottoman antique collectors, the Grand Bazaar was designer Begüm Kıroğlu’s playground as a child and is now the place where her heirloom pieces are hand-crafted by Turkish artisans in an old atelier. Make sure to walk into her flagship store on Mim Kemal Öke Street to experience her eccentric world reflecting the opulence of the old world.

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