Taking inspitation from the power of women in all her collections, Zeynep Tosun's latest muses were Amazon warriors of Anatolia for her 2021 Spring Couture Collection, “Apasas: The City of the Goddesses”. Tosun believes handcraft and related arts to be a part of the cultural heritage that deserves to be preserved. We talked to Tosun about her new collection and the changing face of fashion.
1) You founded your eponymous brand in 2009 and, since then, you’ve been creating collections that blend cultural motifs, handcraft, and modern design. Can you tell us about your design philosophy?
I care deeply about handcraft and especially about the employment of women. That’s why handcraft has always been in the foreground in each of our collections. I believe handcraft and related arts to be a part of the cultural heritage that deserves to be preserved and wish to bring these together with modern details. In our collections, we use traditional handcrafting techniques from Anatolia. These pieces have been manufactured by various women collectives across Anatolia, based on fair trade principles. In other words, I see the world as a place where I can combine my past and future. These are the pillars of my design philosophy.
2) What inspired you for your Spring/Summer Couture Collection “Apasas: The City of the Goddesses”?
The collection was inspired by the Amazon women in Anatolia, known as the strongest women in mythology throughout history, and their life stories. When I started working on this collection, I didn’t know that the Amazon women were from these lands. And when I learned about this, it was inevitably inspiring for me. The first Amazons are believed to have settled in Ephesus in Anatolia. This gave birth to our collection which blends Anatolian handcraft with ancient Greece. The collection’s photo shoot also took place in the ancient city of Ephesus.
3) Fashion and celebration are very intertwined. What are your thoughts on the recent transformation of the culture of celebration? As a designer, how would you comment on this transformation and how it reflects in fashion?
The culture of celebration has recently undergone an extraordinary transformation. Partly due to the pandemic, we started seeing less flamboyant and glamorous celebrations or weddings in Turkey. For instance, there has been a huge increase in destination weddings. Additionally, rental is on the rise as well. Celebrations have become more like parties. And this led to some sort of rejuvenation in fashion collections.
4) What do you think is the secret behind having people love and follow a brand? What are your highlights in terms of preserving the charm of your brand?
The secret lies in the fact that the consumer finds their own code or the code they wish they had, in that brand. This is highly important. I think it’s also significant to have sustainability as part of brand identity. I try to do this with my Instagram posts, by telling our followers how we work, what we do, and our system. I make sure to include them in our brand’s processes. I love people and being surrounded by them. In that regard, I think candour is the key.
5) How would you define women who prefer to wear pieces designed by Zeynep Tosun?
This brand is built on heritage because it has handcraft; we’re making things that cannot be made by machinery. Women who wear our designs are brave, eclectic, and modern because it’s our mission to combine this heritage with the present, even the future. Today, we’re working to carry Anatolia into the future.
6) Your designs have been worn by many celebrities. Which have been your favourites so far? Whom would you like to dress in the future?
Lady Gaga is definitely my favourite because I just love her; I think she’s very talented and hard-working. These are the characteristics I deeply value in life. As to people I wish to dress in the future… I still haven’t dressed Carine Roitfeld and I really would love to. I also love Chloë Sevigny and would love to work with her as well. To give a younger name, I’d like to dress Timothée Chalamet. In short, I wish to widen the spectrum.
