Designers take Istanbul by storm in fashion week


Turkey's biggest fashion event, The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Istanbul pulled up the curtains Tuesday for a three-day event full of creativity, innovative designs and new ideas.

The 13th Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Istanbul features doyen names of the fashion industry as well as young and talented new designers.

The fashion week opened with Emre Pakel's show and the first day of the fashion week featured designs by W-S-M, DB BERDAN, Cele-Brand, Guntas, Kiğili, M.O.F.C Eda Güngör and Damat. Today's shows will feature KITH&KIN as well as designers like Gökhan Yavaş, Mehtap Elaidi and Emre Erdemoğlu.

Every season, Mercedes-Benz supports a different designer to emphases Turkey's growing fashion industry. This season it will be Fashion Designers Association Co-chair, Özgür Mansur. He will show his latest designs as a part of the show "Mercedes-Benz presents Özgür Masur."

Apart from the fashion shows, domestic and international buyers will get together with the designers under the program, Core Istanbul and discover ways to open Turkish fashion to the entire world. The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Istanbul will also host panel sessions and workshops on seasonal trends, digital transformation management, branding, slow fashion and fashion photography. Istanbul Fashion Week dates back to 2008 when it was only Fashion Lab. In time, the event grew, becoming Istanbul Fashion Days in 2009 and a full-fledged fashion week in 2010.

In 2013, Mercedes-Benz became the main sponsor of the event, making it one of the most respected fashion shows in the world. Fifty members of the international press consisting of editors, bloggers and street photographers were also invited to the event, while a purchasing team of 140 representing 102 companies and stores from around the world will also be following the show.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Istanbul is set to close with Climber's runway show on March 22.