aytula
let the journey begin...
The Journey never ends...
Everyone has a journey. I share mine with you.
Yesterday, today, and tomorrow...
Lots of Love,
Aytül
Yesterday
OXXO - La Vie en Fleur Collection - 2018
I. Fashion Eskişehir - Fashion Design Contest, Wedding Dress Category, 2022
2nd place
Last Ticket - RTW Print Collection, 2022
FOR MORE
Today
Aytül
- a Turkish name
The moment of the moonrise and sunset intersection in Turkish.
Also “Ay” means “Moon” in English.
The Journey, MA Project, 2023-24
My project's foundation is my master's thesis. It is also all about my journey. My past, my present and my future. All the things I've been through and the person I have become as a designer and a human being.
Term-1
Moon Pattern
Balance Pattern
The Universe of Me Pattern
Reflective yarn experiments
Reflective look of the reflective yarn with a flashlight.
3D forms with Sashiko
Term-2
I can say that my work has developed more intellectually and physically in this period. First of all, during my visit to Türkiye, I was very impressed by the exhibition "Elegance from the Past to the Future", which focuses on women's clothing in the late Ottoman period and the early periods of the Turkish Republic. It has been a great source of inspiration for my project, which I aim to combine with my own culture, and it excited me a lot.
In this exhibition, there were also the clothes of important names, and it was very enriching to see them and to analyse the transition from Ottoman times to the Republic of Türkiye under the concept of fashion. In addition, despite cultural, religious and social differences, the "ferace" outerwear worn by Muslim women in the Ottoman period was influenced by the collar fashion in Paris and somehow found its place in fashion. In this way, I realised once again how important and powerful fashion is as identity and expression.
With this excitement I drew many sketches....
Selection of Designs
After my sketching phase and tutorials with my supervisors, I decided on these two designs.
These could be the best examples of the combination of Turkish and Japanese cultures. Both cultures are seen equally in the forms and features. Also, the influence of the exhibition is seen in the designs too.
Toile Developments
I made 3 attempts for this kimono-like denim outerwear design.
Term-3
The end is near and we are working hard. It is really great to see all these designs are coming alive. Hard work pays off (hopefully). I thought I had planned everything so well, but it turned out I hadn't. Well, it is a process and I am learning. Even I have sometimes underestimated some parts of this work. I thought I could stitch faster. I thought I could finish stitches faster. But this labour... This effort takes time and now, I know this.
This term, it wouldn’t be a lie to say that I spent most of my time doing sashiko stitching. It’s a time consuming activity and frankly, the denim outerwear is the biggest thing that I’ve ever sewn. I have learnt many things along the way, and there were moments when I surprised myself. For example, while I thought I knew how to sew sashiko in a technical sense, I experienced that it was very different in practice. For this reason, I could only sew Look-1, but even this process was very instructive.
Detachable Pocket of Kimono-like outerwear
THE ANATOMY OF MY DESIGN
It took me 3 months, 545 hours, and 3 broken needles to finish this kimono-like denim outerwear, and some needle scars... 3 months, 545 hours... easy to say but hard to sew! but the good part is I made it!
As a first step, I took apart the jeans donated from my friends and bought from charities and turned them into flat panels. Then, I arranged these fabric panels to create a composition according to my flat patterns.
Then, I transferred the flat patterns to my fabric panels with red fabric tape. According to the drawings that I drew on the iPad, I drew my sashiko patterns on the fabrics and applied the sashiko stitches. The general steps for each flat pattern proceeded like this.
Sewing steps of the outerwear.
In this outerwear, I used natural calico as interlining instead of standard interlining, in line with the spirit of sustainability. I used waste denim fabric(donated by my friend) as a lining on the inside of the jacket.
In this way, I achieved a thick, heavy outerwear structure. This layered structure also refers to the traditional sashiko logic.
The final piece of outerwear is the detachable pocket. The pocket was also lined like the jacket. This double-sided pocket has one side in black and one side in indigo. It is intended to be modifiable according to the user's preference. Also, the black side is the same fabric as the balaclava. This creates harmony in the overall appearance.
I sewed the balaclava with waste black denim fabric was given by my friend. First, I sewed a toile for to finalise the flat pattern. Then I started sewing the real product.
However, while sewing the actual garment, something happened that I didn't take into account and I made a mistake on the collar part. I had 2 options before me. I was either going to sew it again or fix this mistake. Since I had no other fabric, I had to fix the mistake. At that time, I used sashiko for its functional purpose for the first time. I fixed this mistake with sashiko and boro and the design turned out to be more beautiful than before. This mistake proved to me once again the beauty of the sashiko and boro techniques and reminded me that there are lessons I can learn from mistakes.
I followed a different design path for the trousers. First I designed the trousers with the iPad and then I realised the design directly with the garments without flat patterns.
BEFORE
FINAL
Sewing steps of the trousers.
I did blanket stitching on the belt edges and pockets, just like on outerwear.
Look Book
Model: Amelie Woo Photographer: Joe Tutt
Tomorrow
COMING SOON
Dairy
05.03.2024
Disassembling clothes...
Like sashiko, disassembling clothes is a therapeutic and at times a mental journey. As I disassembled each stitch, I thought about the people who sewed them and what thoughts they were thinking about. Maybe about dinner, maybe about how to make ends meet, maybe about their lover. It doesn't have to be so dramatic or romantic, but the hands of these labouring people have touched it and these people have a life. And I did this disassembling process while I was thinking about my own life. And the conversation got deeper and the subject came up and I wanted to make a note of it. This moment is one of the mental and maybe even emotional layers of this journey. This moment. While removing the stitches, I first wondered if I was erasing them and making something new. But then I realised that I don't rip out all the stitches. Either I am included in them or I include them in my own story. Unnamed, unknown comrades... Who would have thought that you could dive so deep while ripping out a stitch?
It was another comedy that the brand of the clothes I dismantled was "sensation". The universe must be surprised by me because it makes little jokes at me.
09.04.2024
Let’s meet the end of the time...
It’s a strange feeling, I want to finish my project but I will miss all these things when it’s finished. I want to go back home but I will miss my life here as well. I feel like, I have 2 personalities at the same time right now. I want to keep going but stay in here as well. I want to start to my new life in Sweden but I don’t want to lose this one in the UK. I feel like in a hurry but also I want to freeze the time. I miss my family but I know I will miss my friends here too. I know myself. I’ve always been like this. I am an unstable and undecided person. I’ve always been. But I’ve some parts are stable. Love, joy, heartfelt. The good thing is now I can carry on these experiences with me to my new life... A better version of me. I am trying to cure or treat the fashion culture with my project. But I think I am treating myself, and my soul either. Because I was so broken at the beginning. When I think about those times ( which are not so far away), It feels so strange like those memories belong to someone else. Now I can see I am healing myself too... So this is why I am saying it’s a better version of me. With my all faults, all wounds a new me was born in the UK which was never expected.
Sustainability
Have you ever thought about sustainability? I am sure you did somehow. But I mean a deeper thought like the burden behind clothing or textile production. We have much responsibility as a consumer ( for me as a designer). Even though Fashion is a shiny world, it is more than that. Therefore, let’s discover what we can do. Raise your hand if you want to join this journey! Will be good, I promise :)
Let’s start with the basics... What is sustainability?
There are many similar definitions of sustainability around the internet. For example, UCLA has a great definition of sustainability like this :
We are accustomed (no wonder) to seeing sustainability issues in topics such as production and consumption. Especially in the fashion industry besides production and consumption, there is another side which is emotional sustainability.
Emotional Sustainability: The burden on our shoulders
Emotional Sustainability is the underestimated side of sustainability. But, maybe the heaviest part of it as well.
All textile items or fashion products have a production story, yes? Every time somewhere in the world these pieces have been touched by someone’s hands, a mother, a father or a daughter, and even maybe a lover? They sew our clothes with a thousand thoughts or feelings. As you can see in the “ Today” and “Diary of Design” parts of my journey, I dissemble clothes, and every time I can’t help thinking who made this cloth? Because we know some places in the world are not equal to others in terms of living standards. So while we are wearing and enjoying our clothes, some people are working under unethical standards and are underpaid. SO... isn’t it part of our clothes? I think it’s part of the deal. We have a responsibility as a consumer,
However, I’ve come across some interesting news about this topic recently. For BoF some consumers find sustainability marketing annoying and I think they have a point. Maybe it’s because of the sustainability issue has become a race or marketing tool instead of being honest in every step of production, design, and marketing.
About Aytül
HI, I'm Aytül. I'm a Textile, Fashion, and Graphic Designer with a Master's Degree in Design. Also an illustrator too.
Generally, I focused on illustration, print, and fashion design but from time to time I do printed media design, packaging design, logo design, etc. Besides these disciplines, I like to use my design knowledge in digital designs like digital art and illustrations.
I have 9 years of experience as a freelancer and 9 years of experience as a corporate employee, and I'm ready to work with you! I love working with people who believed that good things need passion, time, and attentive.
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