BURC AKYOL: NEED FOR HONESTY
Paris, June 2023
It's quite rare to come across such a humble, welcoming and talented person as BURC AKYOL, especially during the frenetic pace of fashion week. After winning the Fashion Trust Arabia prize in 2022 and being a finalist in the LVMH competition this year, Akyol presented his new collection last June in the courtyard of his building as part of the official Paris Fashion Week calendar for the very first time.
I arrived an hour before the show into this intimate, welcoming environment to capture a few images of the silhouettes, materials and faces which altogether celebrated once again the designer’s bi-cultural legacy and creative sensibility. The conversation we had a few days later confirmed the honesty that drives Burc and the way he works, the awareness of today’s world issues and the modern delicacy that all resonate in his pieces.
I deeply loved your latest collection. What were your main inspirations for this one?
I rarely use very precise inspirations. I actually start a lot from personal experiences. There are things happening during the year that are going to be very inspiring and striking as human experiences. 2023 has been so intense... Going to Qatar for the Fashion Trust Arabia, being selected for the LVMH competition, being part of the official SS24 Fashion Week calendar for the first time... There's something about the ceremonial and officialization of the brand that has inspired me a lot and prompted an intransigence in the work.
How did it feel to be part of the official calendar of Paris Fashion Week?
PFW is something of a matter of visibility! I wanted the silhouettes to be as perfect as possible and I had to be uncompromising about myself and what was going to be shown. In Qatar, I had to dress up every day in Burc Akyol for the first time. Dealing with the pieces I created was like being in a self-representation. It inspired me to create new silhouettes. This collection comes also from a reflection on how to wear a wardrobe in the most real and simultaneously exceptional way.
There's a beautiful delicacy in the way materials, shapes and colours are mixed up together - something that has become your signature over the years. Has this feeling of officialization influenced even more the way you’ve designed the pieces and chosen the materials?
Yes, it's even more refined. Everything is very carefully chosen, I wanted it to be just right. It was very interesting for me to have to be even more direct and precise in my choices, to go for materials that immediately evoke a specific atmosphere. How can I create an evening outfit and use satin, lace and chiffon in a modern way? How can I evoke the Orient, to which I'm culturally close, without falling into the expected vision of the “Oriental” designer, because that's not what I am either. I was born and grew up in France, my references are very French. My brand and this wardrobe are French. It’s fascinating to see how my bi-cultural heritage can find its place and result in a contemporary collection.
Well, you're more and more renowned for the way you celebrate your Turkish origins and for the dialogue you create between the Middle East and the West. How do you consider yourself in regard to this cultural dialogue?
First and creatively speaking, the way I create and try things out is very natural and intrinsic to me. Some elements from the French culture make me react and some others from the Turkish culture do too. We're all made up of several notes. Nevertheless, people quickly project something into what you do. This brings us to the second part of the answer, which is more political. Talking about orientality in France isn't the most welcome thing, and it's different from talking about orientality in England, for example. In London, the very rich people are Arab, half of the city is Arab, so there's nothing offensive about Arabness. In France, Arabness is part of our colonial past and doesn't evoke the same things. My presence, my choice to open the show with Bilel, a Maghrebi model, and the fact that I'm talking about orientality and sensuality are a way to say that we're not enough represented. And yet, there are a lot of Turkish, Algerian or Moroccan people in the fashion industry, but most of the time we are seen as the doers, not thinkers. There are a lot of Turks in the Parisian houses’ ateliers, but there are also a lot of people like me who want to be here as creators.
Do you consider fashion and fashion shows as a way of claiming a form of presence and raising visibility for voices?
First and foremost, I do what I do because I love design, otherwise I would be doing politics. I try to be very honest and to create garments that meet my criteria and quality standards. Then, there are political questions which I try to incorporate into my creative process in my choice of models, music, set design, etc. For example, I closed the show before with the Franco-Algerian non-binary performer and dancer Habibitch, who completely breaks the codes. They embody a way of thinking that some people don't want to see. We also dressed the Moroccan transgender singer Lalla Rami for a conference at the Institut du Monde Arabe. At this event, she said that, as a Maghrebi transgender person, there's always something projected onto her before we've even seen her. These words are very powerful and describe what you can feel as a person coming from an oriental community, whether near or far. We still don’t have many spaces to express ourselves, so it’s important to keep creating some in order to talk about these issues. Last season, we made a skirt out of hair three days before the show because Masha Amimi had been killed a few days before. Finally, my work is also about expressing the respect I have for the women who raised me.
Your last collection is also quite masculine.
For me, the collection has no gender. They're pieces of fabric sewn together. The person who wears it gives it gender, or non-gender. In fact, we should stop having men's fashion weeks and women's fashion weeks. It makes no sense! These notions are a bit dated, but we still have to deal with them. Hopefully, we're making progress little by little, and we're a new generation with a little more awareness.
I was struck by the warm energy of the backstage area at your latest show, and your desire to make it "feel like home". In fact, the show takes place in the courtyard of your building. You even left the backstage windows open when the guests arrived. Where does this desire to share and not hide what's going on in the background come from?
It all comes from a need for honesty. This is the third time we've shown the collection here. The first time, we simply didn't have the money to rent a space. Our neighbours suggested doing it here. Most of them help us, serving champagne, dressing the models and so on. They see us working like crazy all year long, so it arouses their curiosity. We've been living here for 6 years and there is a strong sense of community. Secondly, I've worked before [for other houses], so I've seen the complicated backstages and the simple ones. I've seen the different vibes that models can have after a show. My priority when people come to me is that they have a good time. Because once they're out there, they're the ones who carry the message. This time, I wanted to leave everything open to let people see. People think we're a big brand and have a lot of money because of what they see on social media. They don't know what's behind it all, that it’s only us two working here all year long. I wanted to show the reality of what Burc Akyol is all about.
This way of thinking and doing is not yet well-known in fashion. It’s very strong and beautiful!
It's funny because working in fashion gets more closed-up as it moves up the ladder, and that's a shame. In the beginning, it's very open and inclusive, I want to keep that as much as possible. It's already complicated, financially burdensome and very demanding in terms of personal investment, so if it's not fun, what's the point?
As you mentioned before, a lot has happened for you this year. How are you feeling, and what's next?
I feel good of course, even if I am tired. This year has asked me to tap into energies I didn't even think I had. I'm super happy with everything that's been going on, even if I don't know if I've been able to enjoy it all. What’s next? A new collection, and I can't wait! The day after the show I was already thinking about new silhouettes. I'm really looking forward to building the next collection and seeing how we present it. It's another challenge starting. We're broke and we don't know how we're going to find the money, but we're going to do it. Because it's going to be beautiful.
Interview and photography by Hanna Pallot