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This cosmopolitan city surprises with its diversity and shopping choices
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Turkiye – As I walked the Istiklal Caddesi in old Istanbul and saw the familiar brands; Adidas, Zara, Starbucks, Diesel, Gap, Sketchers, and the women wearing summer dresses, jeans, T-shirts and mini skirts, I realized this is not the traditional, conservative city I thought it was.
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It has a progressive Western culture, that reminds me of a place that doesn’t exist: New York with European architecture, consumerism on cobblestone streets that lead to meyhanes (bars) serving meze and raki while hanging mosaic lamps play on my sense of nostalgia for a place I only know from pictures. I am in Turkiye and I am delighted and surprised every time I turn a corner.
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When I take the elevator up the centuries-old Galata Tower for a panoramic view of this sprawling metropolis of 16 million people I realize it is so much bigger and better than I expected. It’s chic, hip, trendy, cool and cosmopolitan. Most of the merchants in the Grand Bazaar shout out welcomes and can haggle in Turkish, French and English.
Instanbul has been ruled by the Romans, the Byzantines, the Ottomans and they have all left their mark. The city has been ransacked, rebuilt, added to and changed with each new conqueror. Churches became mosques, mosques became museums, museums became mosques. Officially Turkiye is a non-religion country and 99 percent of its popular is Muslim. It sounds strange but Hijabs (head scarves) were once banned; thankfully everyone can now wear what they want, and only when entering a mosque will you be asked to cover up.
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As I walked the streets infrequently I would see someone with fresh gauze on their head or face – tourists here for hair replacement surgery or nose jobs – evidently medical tourism is thriving.
I’m here for the shopping and to discover Instanbul’s fashion scene.
Istanbul’s fashion street Abdi Ipekci and the surrounding neighbourhood are the heart of the shopping district. It proudly shows off its European roots with stores like Chanel, Sephora, Fendi, Prada, Gucci and a host of designer boutiques and haute couture brands. And alongside these international names Turkish designers are flourishing with haute couture brands and stylish streetwear of their own.
I took a tour of its neighbourhoods and met with Istanbul designers who have put the city on the world stage for fashion and made it a must visit shopping destination. And of course, there are bars, cafes and restaurants serving world-class cuisine and providing front row-seating for anyone who wants to grab a drink and people watch.
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Local designers share the global stage
With all the international brands in Istanbul you would think Istanbul designers would be squeezed out. That’s not the case as the local talent has learnt to compete on the world stage of fashion and design.
One of the most popular Istanbul designers is Mehta Elaidi who’s first store opened here. (They now export to 12 countries including the United States.)
“It’s been 23 years,” says Mehta Elaidi, the creator of the brand. “We are a designer brand, but our main focus in on the wearability of the product. We care about the design being unique but also we want people wearing them to be happy and comfortable.” Customers can purchase her ready-to-wear styles off the rack.
Less than the six minutes walk from Mehta Elaidi and just down the street from Louis Vuitton, Turkish designer Begum Khan is all about accessories. She is a jewellery designer who returning home to start her eponymous line in 2011. “I have my Master’s in Chinese Culture and lived in China for six years. It has a lot of design influence on my design aesthetic…along with the influences from the Ottoman Empire.” She uses a lot of gold encrusted with diamonds and gems to create whimsical jewellery patterned after nature.
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While in the Nisantasi neighbourhood check out Sudi Etuz a women’s brand created by Samsim Adali who was named the “leading emerging designer” by Elle Magazine. And Nur Bilen Yavuzer’s fashion brand Beauty Omelette which specializes in both clothing and cosmetics.
It was in the shadows of The Grand Bazaar that I met its most famous former worker, Sevan Bicakci; a renowned jewelry designer and watchmaker. Bicakci is known for his ability to carve “precious stones into even more precious pieces.” His grandiose one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry has been worn by celebrities including Celine Dion, Whoopi Goldberg, Rhianna and Madonna.
Bicakci quit school in the fifth grade, and became a goldsmith’s apprentice working in the Grand Bazaar when he was 12 years old. At 18 he opened his own shop.Turkiye is his muse and he’s inspired by his surroundings: the Grand Bazaar, the Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia and the history of the country, particularly the Byzantine and Ottoman eras. His unique pieces sell from in the thousands to millions of dollars.
In the Galaport area I met fashion designer Umit Unal; a fashion designer whose avant-garde designs are often gender neutral as are many of his colour schemes. The Umitunal brand was started in 1992 and moved international in 1998 and is now available in 80 store around the world.
These Turkish designer may be the most well known but there are a lot of emerging designers with shops in Istanbul. These include Beauty Omelette, Raisa Vanessa Showroom, Bee Goddess, Kismet by Milka, Qumi, Dilek Hanif, Arzu Kaporal and many others.
It is a shopper’s paradise.
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