Nihan Peker’s Narcotic Outfits
We discovered the young designer at Galata Moda events of the past years and spoke highly of her success at Istanbul Fashion Week. All of her outfits tell its own story radiating a unique energy. In the following interview she tells us about her success story and her collections.
You give very interesting titles to your collections; they are intriguing. From where do you get your inspirations when preparing a collection?
TürkçeHuman stories fascinate me.
Since I am working in the ready-to-wear industry, the theme of the collection has a limited chance to really touch the customer so my concepts and my starting point become rather personal. I look for inspirations; the inspiration may come from a trend or a city. I like to use the stories I created or found out rather than common themes. May be this is why they sound intriguing.
What would be the characteristics of people who wear the designs in your exclusive collections?
I can always come up with suitable designs for people who admire my style and come for an outfit. From that moment on, I focus on their happiness as obviously they want an outfit that makes them beautiful and feel good. But if they are stylish and decisive people who are at peace with themselves, my job becomes much easy. Which product does Nihan Peker favor the most?
Shirts are my all-time favorites.
Not only the ones in my own collections… The first thing I notice when looking at any collection is how they made the shirts.
The idea to make your own fabrics, dying and shaping them yourself seems very successful. How did you come up with it? What kinds of materials do you prefer for your collections?
You can choose among a limited range of fabrics in ready-to-wear industry however for my exclusive collections I prefer to use my own fabrics. I like raw, unprocessed fabrics and various materials. My favorites are haws and ropes…
What are your interests other than fashion?
I love to take photographs and I also follow what’s happening in the architecture scene. To your opinion, who are the most significant designers in national and international fashion scenes?
There are a lot of Turkish designers I admire however I find especially Pınar Yolaçan and Ümit Benan to be really different and special. They both live abroad. At the international scene Japanese designers like Rei Kawakuba, Limi Feu and Yohji Yamamato are my favorites.
TürkçeWhat’s next?
Where do you want to be in the future?
I want to be able to grow outside Istanbul and Turkey and reach more people from different places.
What does Istanbul mean to you?
For me Istanbul is the most beautiful and meaningful city in the world. This is the place where I was born, lived and where I want to live till the end. As a designer I get inspiration from every neighborhood in this city. It is also a huge city where regardless of how many neighborhoods you see, there will always be places to make me feel that I’m in a completely different corner of the world.
İLKBAHAR 2013 SPRING 2013
Who is Nihan Peker? Can you tell us about yourself?
I was born in İstanbul in 1985. During my high school education I also attended basic arts and painting courses at artist Memet Güreli’s atelier. I graduated from Textile and Fashion Design department of Yeditepe University and worked as an intern at prestigious companies such as Vakko, Network/Altınyıldız. I took part in the 11th International Fashion Fair of Istanbul in 2008 with my graduation project Semazen (whirling dervish). After graduation I worked with designer Hatice Gökçe for one year and left for Milan for a graduate degree in fashion design at Instituto Marangoni Milano. My second collection which I prepared during my masters education was called “Hamal” (Porter). The collection scored as top three at “Swarovski Crystallized Elements Competition” and was displayed in Paris, Milan and London. After internships at prestigious Italian brands including Federico Sangalli, I came back to Istanbul in 2009 to establish my own company. My ready-to-wear collections were displayed in a number of concept stores around Istanbul. I am also working as a design counselor for various companies. As chief designer, I created the 2012 Spring/Summer collection of Bil’s, a brand that focuses only in producing white shirts. Finally, I presented my 2013 winter collection “Narkoz” (Narcosis) at Istanbul Fashion Week.
What is the significance of education in your fashion career?
Although I believe that certain things can be done without a formal education, to be able to get a proper education in this field was important to me as there are no limits in learning. I now see that having a college degree in fashion design has contributed a lot in my work. Especially the experience I gained during my internships in Milan would be impossible to get otherwise.