Niyazi Erdoğan, fashion designer and founder of the Niyazi Erdoğan brand, said, “I am always inspired by our stories and these lands. There are so many topics in our culture that I don’t need different alternatives.” said.
You have been successfully advancing in the fashion industry for many years. What would you say about the emergence of the Niyazi Erdoğan brand?
In fact, it is very assertive to say that we are a brand. Yes, we are designer brands, but in order to become a brand, it is necessary to spread to larger masses. I studied architecture, graduated from technical university. I always wanted to do this profession, but the conditions developed like this. In 2003, I entered the sector with the Koza Young Fashion Designers Competition. After working in the sector for a long time, I intended to establish my own brand. In 2009, I prepared my first collection. Until then, I prepared collections for many export companies and brands. Since I was working with global brands, I knew the dynamics of the industry, preparing collections and what to pay attention to in order to create a brand. I decided to make a menswear brand because it is an area where there is not much concentration and focus in the sector. Men’s collections were also very close to architecture. At the beginning, I didn’t focus on building a brand or owning a business. My only goal was to tell stories to people with my work, to show my creativity. In 2014, I took firmer steps towards branding. I received branding trainings in the projects carried out by ITKIB. I decided to move forward to become an architectural, contemporary, tradition-inspired brand.
What difficulties did you encounter in this process?
In fact, the most important challenge was to prepare men’s collections. Because the consumer was not ready for this. In Turkey, it is possible to direct the consumer to a trend and then sell the product. Men’s fashion perception has not yet settled. If the consumer does not establish a relation with the product and everything you do could not go beyond being recognized, then it is not enough to be a brand. Koza has been my biggest starting point. After that, I got a lot of support. I did not have any difficulties in finding fabrics or manufacturers in Turkey, I always worked with the right people. You cannot be a brand on your own. For this, the environment, the fashion industry in Turkey, must be ready. The fashion industry in our country is just forming and arising. For example, Paris Fashion Week has been held since the 1800s, but everything is very new for us in Turkey. This is one of the difficulties. We have drawn many borders ourselves, even the definition of fashion design in our country has just been made. There are also financial difficulties. When you own a brand, you are the financier, accountant, producer, in short, everything. I learned all of these within the process.
Is it more difficult to create a brand in the field of fashion or to maintain it?
It was easier to be known when we were founded; because the environment was suitable for it in those days. People and the fashion world got to know us. Now the process is a little more difficult. Young people need to come up with very different ideas. Today it is much more difficult to maintain business. Because every season you have to create a new collection. There was a time when I stopped and passed without creating a collection. Now, every time we release a new collection, we see the difficulty it brings and its reflection today. That’s why continuity is so important. We must make products every season and ensure that people establish a relation with those products. We are trying to bring our products to customers from more points in order to ensure the sustainability of the brand. Fashion shows, PR work, marketing activities are very important for recognition. Regardless, if people don’t wear your designs, your work and effort is meaningless.
Four seasons ago, we watched you with a fashion show that was completely prepared in three dimensions. How do you evaluate the integration of fashion with technology?
In this period, it is not possible to think of anything apart from technology. Technology provides information flow. With this flow of information, many things become easier, faster and healthier. It is not possible for the fashion world to stay away from the current social media, communication and information flow. Because fashion means what is already updated and new. When we decided to do that fashion show, the atmosphere was very suitable. It was difficult to prepare a collection because it was the pandemic period, the workshops were closed. That’s why we designed everything in a computer environment. Then we produced and sold that collection. So it didn’t just stay in the digital environment, it became a reality. For us, it was an innovative and up-to-date work that supports sustainability.
How do you evaluate the perspective of the industry towards fashion designers?
I think that everyone should explain themselves correctly and convey their expectations very clearly to the other party. In the past, the designer seemed inaccessible and mysterious in one respect. He was conceived as a creative person who was not very aware of the dynamics of the industry. I don’t think the concept of fashion designer is like that today. As I’ve just said, you gain experience in many parts of the industry while creating your own brand. We can transfer these experiences back to the industry. Communication is very important in the collaborations of industry and designer. It is necessary to understand and analyze the expectations correctly. At the point we reached today, the environment is more suitable for these collaborations. Because the examples are very useful. It is gratifying that these collaborations are increasing. I think the fashion designer has always been valuable. The fashion designer has always been an interesting character with his existence and stance. It’s just that now it’s easier to establish the connection between them. There are companies that treat the designer badly or do not employ designers. But this is about the identity of the institution, it wouldn’t be right to attribute it to the whole industry.
You interpret your designs as a presentation of colorful alternatives in the routine city life inspired by local values. What are your sources of inspiration?
I have always felt a responsibility in my work. I wanted my work to add something to people. When the Fashion Designers Association was first established, its vision was to create the fashion school in Turkey. So we are the people who wrote that history. 30 years from now, when they tell us about the history of fashion, it will be seen that every designer has their own line. The design language in Turkey is more mixed, because we are in a multi-cultural geography. We have a structure that combines great differences and melts them in one pot. Every designer is definitely inspired by their own values and creates works to create the Turkish fashion school. I am always inspired by our stories and these lands. There are so many topics in our culture that I don’t need different alternatives. We are very lucky as the fashion designers of this land.
We saw your collection inspired by the storytellers, whose roots go back to the depths of Anatolia. What kind of Niyazi Erdogan collection will we see in the new season?
Last week, we presented our SS23 collection. When Istanbul Fashion Week was canceled, designers who make men’s collections came together and we organized an organization called Gentlemen’s Day. We held a fashion show and talk show in Fişekhane where we exhibited our new season collections. Since it is a special program for men’s fashion, we plan to continue it by expanding it. Men’s clothing collections disappear during fashion weeks. We presented the collection called Hicaz(“Hejaz”) at this event. Hejaz is a collection inspired by the music made for Istanbul. When asked what would happen if Istanbul was a mode, my musician friends answered “Hejaz”. Hejaz, which is a mode, in which there are variables, rising and resting melodies, is just like Istanbul. The colors and patterns that emerged from this theme were reflected in the collection. Men’s fashion cannot easily adapt to changes. As of the previous summer, we started to relax the silhouettes a little more. Larger forms and looser trousers came to the fore. Even this is a great innovation. You see this approach in fashion magazines when you look at it, but it will take some time for it to be seen on the streets. This summer, more loose forms and larger shirts will come to the fore.
We see that the use of color also diversifies…
I am a color lover and like to use many colors. I refused to use black in my collections until the Nakkal (“Storyteller”) collection. Because black is such an easy color. Everything you make looks beautiful. We are an alternative brand. We should not look like any brand. Thereby we can make a difference. It should be our duty to accustom people to innovations.
We always see you as the leading role in the works carried out for the development of the sector. How important is the involvement of fashion designers in these works?
There is a mutual feeding at this point. These are works that do not have any monetary value and that take a very significant time. But if you’re starting a business, if you want to be a pioneer, you have to touch everything. Education and transferring what you have learned to others is a field that I am fond of. The charity of knowledge is sharing. I have also taught professionally, I try to attend seminars, trainings and jury memberships in the sector as much as possible. Thus, we can touch the industry. Being together with young people makes me innovative. In order to stay up-to-date, their behavior and perspective also give us something. Young people are the ones who will establish relations with our brand in the future.
What do you recommend to young people? What do you think are the mistakes they make when stepping into the world of fashion?
They don’t realize it’s a job. The education process does not train fashion designers very professionally. Many people who think that fashion is just to run a fashion show and to be famous are graduating. This business is part of an industry. If you are not aware that this is a profession, they may not look at you as a professional in the sector. Therefore, they must be well-equipped in every sense. Not only the artistic part of the work, but also the professional part should be supported. They need to know where to position themselves within a huge industry. There are many dynamics, none of which should be left to chance or coincidence. The biggest problem in Turkey is that designers cannot find a sales point. We have to do everything by ourselves.
Could you give some information about your projects for the next period?
We will start preparations for our winter collection. We will be doing the Gentlemen’s Day event again. We need to find new outlets and sales points. We need to reach more people and work with sales channels abroad.
