Fashion designer Dilek Hanif takes the Anatolian culture to the world fashion and established her brand in 1990. She made her debut to the world fashion industry by her first Haute Couture fashion show which took place at historical Saint Irene Church in 2002. By presenting her 2004 Spring/ Summer Collection at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week, she became the first Turkish designer that achieved to present a collection in that platform. In 2011, she established her ready-to-wear brand ‘Dilek Hanif’ by combining her talents in Haute Couture and her entrepreneur spirit. She achieved to become a global brand through her number of sale points and production capacity.
Today, Dilek Hanif brand presents Haute Couture designs and ready-to-wear collections that have traces of Haute Couture culture and represents Turkey in the international arena as being among the biggest fashion brands. We made a special interview with Dilek Hanif who keeps the ties with the Ottoman culture and synthesizes the past and the future in her own style.
How do you define being a fashion designer? In this context how do you define yourself as a designer?
I was born into fashion. It was a very important drive for me in that process to know that even when I was very young that the job I want to do was ‘Fashion Design’. Today, I owe the place that I am at know to hundreds of fabrics, thousands of hasps, efforts, pages of drawings and a strong team that I always feel their support. So, fashion design is my life rather than an occupation. Today, things we do reaches to much bigger communities, the fact that I represent Turkey in different platforms coincides with my style of self-expression. Because as a designer, who was born in Turkey and worked, produced in this beautiful country, I think it is very important to promote and present the designing capacity of here to much more people.
What has changed in Turkey in the fashion sector from past to today?
Turkey, gained pace especially in the last ten years in fashion design. Of course, in achieving this, there are important contributions of initiatives such as MBFWİ, Turquality and Promotion Groups. It is now easier to make your name heard in Europe or in the world compared to the past, for example the years that I present my collection at Paris Couture Week, even if you are an Istanbul based designer. There are differences in sectoral context of course but if you ask my opinion fashion sector is now a whole. To able to reach to data through developed technology and faster communication opportunities affected every sector. We can now access to magazines, books and online sources about fashion any time. Today, we can watch a fashion show in Paris online and shop from global websites. Style suggestions that brands give on social media, easy matching pieces minimize the possible mistakes. So, along with the whole world, branding process is truer and more conscious in Turkey.
Do you think that Turkish fashion acquired a leading position or can she achieve that?
In fact, there is a big progress in this road. Maybe Turkish fashion is still not where we want it to be but I believe that this gap will decrease very fast and Turkish fashion and designers will come to better places in the future.
Where do you get your inspirations in preparing your collections?
Travelling is very important for me, you find time to relax and get inspired only in some parts of the year. My first preference in such situations is Göcek. My abroad preference is Italy. Capri, Forte dei Marmi and Borgo Egnazia are my favorite holiday spots. If you are a person like me who is working too much and want to just relax in your vacation, you prefer the places that you know better, enjoy more and are good for your soul than the places that you have never been to. So, a vacation that relaxes my soul is mu biggest inspiration.
Recently ready-to-wear brands started to prepare collections with famous designers. What is your attitude towards this? What kind of an effect does this collaboration of ready-to-wear brands and famous designers create according to you?
I see those collaborations of designers and brands as democratization of fashion. Designers, along with their own collections prepare much more accessible collections in collaboration with brands and reach to more people. This is a very educational thing for the designer as well. Because while you are making your own collection you are totally free, but when you are making it in collaboration with a brand you have to follow its design codes and fabric preferences. I did a very enjoyable collaboration with Koton for 4 seasons. The Dilek Hanif for Koton Collection was appreciated and preferred by a different community which usually does not have access to our ready-to-wear collections. I think it was a very enjoyable and successful collaboration.
Do you prefer local or foreign producers for supplements such as fabrics and accessories? What are your criteria for your preferences?
My priority is to supply them from the local market. However, there are some details, accessories or embroideries that we cannot have here. Or we go through situations that we cannot have a specific type of fabric. Then we get supports from foreign producers. My criterion is to work with the producers that help me to create the designs in my mind in the best way.
