Talented fashion-game-changers

For many Fashion students the catwalk is the springboard to the professional fields. Sometimes you can be scouted beforehand, before your collection even makes it onto the catwalk. This happened to graduate Gönül Yigit.

With this award Redress places international talented designers into the limelight creating a platform for talented fashion-game-changers. As a result, those designers that will be capable to transform the fashion-industry become known.

"And they are in great need", says Christina Dean, founder and chairman of Redress.
“Only the strongest and most talented designers are able to survive. Designs that can up cycle nuclear waste, like our10 Redress Design Award Finalists, are far ahead when it comes to entering a new fashion-industry."

A collection with grandpa as muse

Gönül belongs to the ten international designers that have been nominated. She has been inspired by the clothing style of her grandfather: "My Grandpa is displays a lot of care for his wardrobe. This is why his clothing lasts for years. It consists solely of a few items that can be combined with one another endlessly. He would be a great example for the contemporary society in which our consumerist, wasteful behaviour appears almost unstoppable.”

Typical ‘Turkish grandpa’ style

“What is typical for my grandpa – and his generation - is the unchangeable style of clothing that is common within the Turkish community of the Netherlands. Everyone recognizes the Turkish grandfathers as seen from the street. Men of  70+ appear in their browngrey suits, that all look the same from a distance. The essential colbert, more often than not a tad too large, and the striped or checkered shirt. A recurring theme in the jumpers and socks is the  argyle pattern. The look can be ascribed to a classical, conservative style, to which its advocates have remained faithful for years. With my graduation project I am showing these elements in a new way in a men´s collection."

My responsibility as designer

"I want people to question the systems of the contemporary fashion industry. We need a new system in which there exists a balance between environment, humans and economy. As an up and coming designer I feel the responsibility and need to take steps towards sustainability."

Designing with history and mystery

"I make collections by up-cycling secondhand clothes and textiles, and scrap-material. These are carefully selected on the basis of colour and quality. I try to retain original clothing-items in order to add historical, as well as mysterious themes. Besides this I use manual techniques drawn from craftsmanship. I try to show how fun it can be to work with material constraints and to create something to which consumers can feel attached to!"

More about nominations in the newsitem

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