Vogue is at all times extra than simply clothes, particularly when it conveys perspective and feelings. That is how Sezgin Kivrim, the artistic director of the Berlin-based model Sezgin, which he runs collectively together with his good good friend Angelina Schwarzkopf, feels. So it’s no shock when he recounts how delighted he was by a remark from a Japanese purchaser who stated, “I really feel what you need to categorical along with your assortment.”
And that’s: togetherness, change, pleasure. The inspiration for his new assortment, titled “When the solar hasn’t reached us but,” got here from a household night in Kurdistan. His household had deliberate to exit, however a change within the climate compelled them to remain house. In order that they spontaneously ate, sang, and danced at house, and the household, who had initially dressed up, progressively modified again into comfy garments.
“It’s a mixture of extra elegant and cozy items,” stated Kivrim of his new lineup. For instance, there’s a pair of wide-legged, knee-length, darkish trousers with a big purple knit sweater that includes the model’s blue emblem, decoratively positioned all through.
Knitwear is unquestionably one in all Sezgin’s strengths, as seen in a small, short-sleeved vest in a lightweight pink shade, woven with horizontal purple, blue, and white threads—a lovingly crafted piece that may carry a complete look. Kivrim pairs it on the mannequin with a white T-shirt that includes a purple embroidered coronary heart bearing the phrases “Her Bijî,” which may be loosely translated as “Viva Kurdistan.” He completes the look with wide-legged, light-weight, and sheer black mesh trousers, illustrating the balancing act the label is at present trying: cultural references translated into fashionable materials and thus into a recent aesthetic.
Sezgin’s breakthrough within the German vogue scene got here with a putting outsized crocheted sweater that includes the Kurdish flag. It’s at present receiving renewed consideration because of the political scenario of the Kurds, significantly in Rojava. Whereas the flag is not a central aspect in his present assortment, Kivrim incorporates the solar, a culturally important image that recurs in his designs.
He’s deeply engaged with the stability between tradition and vogue, possible as a result of stability has at all times been a serious matter in his life. Kivrim belongs to the Kurdish diaspora in Germany; he grew up in Ulm, a small city in southern Germany. For a very long time, he tried to be as “German as attainable”; for instance, his dad and mom raised him with out educating him Kurdish. It’s an id battle that many individuals from all diasporas know all too nicely. He interprets his private balancing act intuitively but skillfully into vogue.
Kivrim offered 10 appears at a present in Berlin. One look picks up on the fabric of the aforementioned trousers: a slip gown constituted of black, sheer cloth that may also be worn as a tunic over the trousers. One other mix-and-match piece that’s amongst Kivrim’s favorites is a lightweight, powder-colored mesh prime with lengthy, gathered sleeves. Outlines of huge suns are embroidered on it in purple thread. The mannequin wears a white mini gown beneath. New to this assortment is a floral print cloth constituted of household deadstock. The inspiration for utilizing a floral sample comes from her grandmother, who preferred to put on garments with an identical sample at house in Kurdistan. Kivrim efficiently brings these components into the current day in Berlin with fashionable silhouettes, corresponding to relatively slim-fitting, high-waisted trousers with ruching.
The presentation cleverly illustrated the cultural connections: Three girls braid one another’s hair, symbolizing id, dignity, and resistance. Different fashions eat sunflower seeds collectively, whereas others drink tea. Kivrim’s intention is to convey an understanding of Kurdish habits and tradition for an viewers which isn’t related to it that nicely.
His purpose is to create a group that may be mixed throughout seasons, which he achieves, for instance, by means of carry-over items that differ solely in materials. His dedication to dimension variety additionally influences the design; many gadgets are solely obtainable in two sizes, however they’re extremely adaptable because of belts and the power to assemble cloth. This isn’t solely sensible but additionally an extra nod to his tradition: “We at all times lent and handed on loads of garments to one another. What didn’t match was merely made to suit,” he explains. He plans to proceed this strategy in his subsequent assortment, in order that in the long run, a really massive, cohesive assortment may be created the place every little thing may be worn with every little thing else. Rising collectively, supporting one another—sure, the Japanese purchaser is correct: You possibly can really feel a deeply empathetic strategy to vogue in these rigorously thought-about items and this is the reason it resonates with folks, irrespective of the place they’re from.
