A Conversation with Designer Erkan Coruh

Erkan Coruh: The Men and Women of Allah | Antakly Projects
Erkan Coruh, The Men and Women of Allah collection
Erkan Coruh, collection
Antakly Projects  ·  Fashion  ·  Istanbul  ·  Milan

Erkan Coruh

The Men and Women of Allah

Istanbul-born fashion designer based in Milan. Fine Arts Academy Istanbul, Domus Academy Milan. Turkey's Young Designer of the Year 2004. IAF International Designer Award 2005. Vogue Italia Who's On Next winner. Selected by Dolce & Gabbana for Spiga2, Milan.

Istanbul  ·  Milan Domus Academy  ·  Vogue Italia Islam  ·  Avant-Garde  ·  Shirin Neshat
After seeing his collection in Vogue Italia, Leila was intrigued to learn more: particularly the second collection, Shirin, inspired by Shirin Neshat, an artist she admires so much.

Erkan Coruh was born in Istanbul on 26 June 1976. After earning a degree in Fashion Design at the Fine Arts Academy in Istanbul in 2003, he won Turkey's Young Designer of the Year award in 2004 and the IAF International Designer Award in 2005. He went on to earn a Master in Fashion Design at Domus Academy in Milan in 2005, and for the next four years worked in Milan for several cutting-edge Italian brands.

In 2009 he began developing his own brand with a team in his atelier, in collaboration with several artists. In March 2010 he launched his first Autumn/Winter collection, The Men and Women of Allah, in Milan. His second collection, Shirin, inspired by Iranian artist Shirin Neshat's film Women Without Men, was presented at Rome Fashion Week as part of the Alta Roma and Vogue Italia Who's On Next competition, where he was selected as the winner for Women's Ready-to-Wear. He was subsequently hand-picked to present at Spiga2 by Dolce & Gabbana in Milan.

"Quando preghi, indossa i tuoi abiti migliori, perche Allah ama l'eleganza." When you pray, wear your finest clothes, because Allah loves elegance.
Erkan Coruh
The conversation
01

Most interesting response to your collection?

Islam in avant-garde fashion. A kind of synthesis that plays tradition and femininity.

02

Highlights of Milan Fashion Week?

This year I think Milan Fashion Week was more lively and fresh. Now Milan has turned more towards creativity without losing its refined elegance and classic Milanese style. That is why I am happy to live and work here.

03

Greatest inspirations and influences?

My God, my angels, my life, and my muse Shirin Neshat. Shirin's style and works have always guided my creativity, especially for the last collection dedicated to her and her beauty. Women in art and modern art, such as Frida Kahlo, have been a great influence.

04

Dream project?

To design the most beautiful dress in the world.

05

Anything else you would like to share?

I am full of new ideas of how to combine fashion with other disciplines, working and designing in a more ethical way with a desire to preserve humanity in my future processes. Despite the cliche argument that the fashion industry is hurtful, I believe creativity will always find its value, even amongst the doubts and economic crisis.

On the Spring/Summer 2012 collection

Vogue Italia  ·  2012

For Spring/Summer 2012, the Turkish designer continued his journey of exploration in Islamic culture while keeping one eye always on the Western world. The collection developed two very different themes: Islam, the culture and religion of the young designer's origin; and the suggestion drawn from Peter Weir's 1975 film Picnic at Hanging Rock, which recounts the disappearance of several schoolgirls during a picnic on Valentine's Day 1900.

The result is a collection that combines adolescent curiosity with the mystery and spirituality of Middle Eastern culture. A celebration of the singular union between prayer and elegance, an homage to feminine wisdom that manages to reconcile spiritual norms and femininity. Veils that partially cover the face on one side; sensual women, belly dancers wearing skirts of transparent veils and gold bodices paired with a modern leather biker gilet on the other. Long tunics to the floor with raw hems, in black and white. Emerald or light green sandals with knots, a distinctive element of the designer since his first collection.

Midi and maxi lengths, typically oriental, combine with an original use of light materials: chiffon and organza, silk and satin. The colour palette is minimal: white and black enriched by touches of green and beige. A multicultural collection that interprets a young odalisque, a belly dancer, an Eastern girl looking with adolescent curiosity at the culture of the West.

"I believe creativity will always find its value, even amongst the doubts and economic crisis."
Erkan Coruh

Stay curious,

Leila Antakly

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