A Candid Interview With Fashion Designer Mert Erkan
Mr Mert, first of all, thank you so much for kindly accepting our interview request. At Fresh Models, we have been following you. You have taken part in many fashion weeks.
Mert Erkan introduces himself
So could you tell us a little about yourself?
-I was born in Istanbul in 1994. I graduated from the Textile & Clothing Department of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. I then completed my education at the Fashion & Textile Design Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts at FMV Işık University. I started my university internship with Arzu Kaprol. Then, through a project, I joined the design team, where I worked actively for 2.5 years. Straight after that, I worked at Dice Kayek for 7 months. Then, in 2013, I founded my own brand and began creating employment through it.
Besides that, I took part in Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Istanbul every season. I also began taking part in many fashion weeks and various trade fairs abroad. At the same time, since 2016 I have also been actively working in fast fashion. I have provided external design support to many brands, above all the Inditex group, and I am still doing so.
The Shelved collection and its inspiration
The colours you used in your latest show were understated, elegant and modern; first of all, congratulations on your show. What was the inspiration behind your spring/summer collection at the 14th season of MBFW? Could you tell us a little about your style?
-For my Spring/Summer 2020 women’s ready-to-wear collection, which I named Shelved (Rafa Kaldırılan in Turkish), I took my inspiration from a past relationship. The relationship I went through ended in an interesting way, and I was inspired by that. I started from a book I had put away on a shelf years ago and the dried carnation inside it. In this collection, I interpreted the carnation in my own way in particular, and I placed it in the collection in a monochrome manner. The raw-stitched ribbon details and the compositions in which those ribbons were distributed referred to the carnation. The layering and folding details were a separate reference to the pages of the book. I used white, beige, lilac, saxe blue and purple in the collection. In total, I presented 23 looks in the show.
A clear silhouette dominates this season’s women’s silhouette. This woman has attitude, can stand on her own two feet and refers back to the past. Voluminous shoulder and sleeve details formed the key details of the collection, as did raw-stitched, differently interpreted ribbons, oval placket closures and circle skirts. Styling, hair, make-up, music, staging, choreography; in fact, every fine detail was tied to this story. I designed and staged everything while staying true to this story.
Student years and first steps
You studied at the Textile & Clothing Department of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, then at the Fashion & Textile Design Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts at FMV Işık University, and so completed your education. Are you where you imagined yourself to be in your school years? Is there a goal you want to reach?
-During my years at both universities, I was focused on somehow running my own brand, Mert Erkan, on the side. I worked on it relentlessly. My first experience was being included in my school’s end-of-year graduation show. I was still only a first-year student. Even so, thanks to my enthusiasm and achievement alone, I took part in that group show. That was a special beginning for me, when I started proving myself to myself. I continued to pursue the rest by always working very hard, forgetting my tiredness, persevering and believing. Back then, I planned to reach the point I dreamed of in my 30s. I also had the added joy of achieving it 3 years later.
You worked with Arzu Kaprol between 2010 and 2012; what did it give you?
-I can say that working with Arzu Kaprol benefited me in many ways. First of all, I widened my network in terms of fabric suppliers. In my one-to-one dealings, I learned how to step into good human and business relationships. Then there was the process of preparing a collection, and the responsibilities that this process brings and contains. There were also sleepless stretches of time spent day and night among bolts of fabric, and how precious each of those stretches was mattered too. And then pattern-making and sewing techniques, and being able to build lovely friendships and companionships… That is how I would sum up what it gave me.
Was there an event or show where you first made your name? When did people really start to get to know you?
-Beyond making my name known, the event where I had the chance, for the first time, to prove and present myself in a professional arena and show myself to myself was this one. In December 2014, I took part after receiving an invitation from my dear friend Uğurkan Erez. It was my solo show, which I staged at the gala night of the programme “Bu Tarz Benim” (This Is My Style) on Show TV, as the channel was known at the time, a widely watched programme. After that, things only grew from there.
Brands, trade fairs and stockists
You have provided external design services to many brands; are there brands you are working with right now?
-For about 4 years, I have served many brands and companies, mainly the Inditex Group, providing collection consultancy and design services. I am currently working at Sambtex Tekstil, where I again provide design support to Inditex Group brands and many affiliated companies.
You have taken part in international trade fairs; which fairs were they, and what kind of feedback did you receive?
-I have had many opportunities to take part in international trade fairs and fashion weeks. These events were often fashion weeks and fairs held simultaneously. There were events that were the most valuable and unforgettable for me: Vietnam International Fashion Week and Laos Fashion Week, which I attended with the support I received, together with the fairs held simultaneously as part of those fashion weeks. I took part as the only participating designer from Turkey. Along with that pride, receiving so much praise and demand was the icing on the cake, I can say.
Stockists and sustainability
You currently have points of sale in eight locations; could you tell us a little about which locations they are?
-Yes, it was 8, but I now have 10 points of sale. In Turkey, they are in Istanbul, Gaziantep, İzmir and Adana. Abroad, they are in Kuwait, Dubai, Vietnam and Laos. In addition, we also sell on a number of online retail sites.
Do you think fashion designers have a role in the sustainable fashion cycle?
–Of course the designer has an active role. Because we are, for the most part, the main hub that determines, decides, implements and has things implemented. Most importantly, we are the ones who set the example.
How can people who want to buy your designs reach you?
-In Turkey: İstinye Park Beymen, Celebre Boutique, 868 Boutique, Things Boutique, Akmerkez Building Designer Store, Esra Arı Boutique. Online: 365ist.com, Let Style In. Abroad: Kuwait, Dubai, Bahrain and Vietnam.
After this delightful interview with Mert Erkan, I leave you with his spring/summer 2020 collection. He created the collection inspired by a relationship from his past that ended in an interesting way, starting from a book he had put away on a shelf years later and a dried carnation inside it.
Mert Erkan Instagram https://www.instagram.com/merterkandesign
All Images : ISTANBUL, TURKEY – OCTOBER 09: A model poses on the runway during the Mert Erkan show during Mercedes-Benz Istanbul Fashion Week at Zorlu Performance Hall on October 09, 2019 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Vakkas Aygül)
Highlights from Mert Erkan’s career
The interview shows that a young designer can run his own brand while also providing design support to large ready-to-wear groups. Mert Erkan presents his own collections at fashion weeks, and he also explains that he provides external design services to brands of the Inditex group. The group brings together brands such as Zara, Massimo Dutti, Bershka and Pull&Bear under its umbrella. You can explore its structure on Inditex’s official website.
The designer presented his Spring/Summer 2020 collection, Shelved, that season. For the season’s schedule, take a look at our Spring/Summer 2020 fashion week story.