This week, I found myself intrigued by an advertisement on a billboard while stuck in traffic in Istanbul. The image featured actress Hande Erçel, promoting the special collection “Nocturne X Hande Erçel: Inspired by Her.” This eye-catching photo seemed to linger in my mind. Later that day, while checking my emails at the office, I came across a newsletter about the collection, which piqued my interest even further.
The 35-piece collection was photographed by the talented Louise and Maria Thornfeldt, the creative masterminds behind global fashion campaigns. Erçel, a graduate of Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts, was actively involved in every detail of the collection, playing a significant role in its creation process. Erçel described the collection as “a celebration of who I am, what I stand for, and the clothes that make me feel good. Every piece and detail is designed to make everyday dressing feel a little more special, inspired by both the past and the future.”
As I reflected on it, I realized that Erçel had been working with the brand for years. It's rare to see a young fashion brand collaborate so successfully and for such an extended period with a globally recognized figure. Naturally, I found myself curious about the brand and its founder. Nocturne, one of the most popular women’s fashion brands of the moment, was founded in 2012 by Can Tarlan, then 24 years old. Tarlan quickly became one of the most prominent names in the ready-to-wear industry. His brand, which takes its name from a composition by Frederic Chopin, was originally created with just a small team of three to four people. I couldn't resist the urge to meet with Tarlan face-to-face. This week, I arranged a coffee meeting with him at Raffles Istanbul.
Tarlan recalls the early days of the brand with a calm voice: “I never imagined it would get this big. But of course, it all started with a dream. At first, we were making t-shirts. Then, customers began asking for other items that could be paired with the t-shirts. Pants, jackets ... before we knew it, we were preparing a whole collection.”
I asked him, “Didn’t you ever have doubts, like ‘Can we pull this off?’ or ‘This is too much for us to handle’ in the beginning?” Tarlan responded calmly, “I’m naturally a very laid-back person. I don’t panic easily. In fact, people often comment on how calm I am. Business runs in my family, so I was familiar with it. The biggest challenge was growing from a small start-up with just 3-4 people into a large organization. We started with a team of 3-4 people, then grew to 50, 100 and now we have over 200 employees. There are more than 100 people in the head office alone, and we work with various external organizations. Creating that structure was really difficult.”
Tarlan, who established the brand’s DNA through a strong design philosophy and an environmentally conscious approach, spent much of his childhood abroad due to his father’s profession. He lived in countries such as the United States, Belgium, France and Brazil. After graduating from a French high school, he earned a degree in sociology from Galatasaray University and completed his master’s degree at Stanford University in the United States.
When talking about his ongoing collaboration with Hande Erçel, Tarlan said, “This will be our sixth year working together, though we took a short break for one year. We wanted to create something different this year. Normally, celebrities are only involved in the final stages of a collection, like styling. This time, we had Erçel involved from the very beginning. Her growth as a brand has been closely tied to our own. We joke that we’ve ‘grown together’ in this regard. We were both involved in the design and selection of fabrics for this collection. So, we tried something new and we think it will be very successful. We’re focusing on iconic pieces from the 90s for this collection.”
Nocturne’s collections are always unique and inspiring. When I asked Tarlan about the driving forces behind his work, he explained that his inspirations come from art, gastronomy and the different cultures he experienced throughout his childhood. A passionate collector of signed books and personal art, Tarlan says nature, art and environmental sustainability are deeply embedded in the brand’s DNA.
Nocturne has expanded its presence both in Türkiye and internationally, selling its collections in various stores, including Dubai Hills Mall, The Dubai Mall, Soho New York, Macy’s, Wolf & Badger (in both London and New York) and Nordstrom in the U.S. The brand is also planning to open five stores in Saudi Arabia. Looking ahead, Tarlan envisions the brand branching into the gastronomic world in the near future.
