Atıl Kutoğlu - Fashion designer extraordinaire Keeping residents of city chic

When asked about his experience in Vienna, Kutoğlu said: "It was in Vienna that I realized I could be simple and arresting at the same time. Instead of asking what I could add to a garment, I learned to consider what I could take out to create a more permanently pleasing effect."

He was only 24 years old when he launched his label in 1992. That was just one year after he completed his studies and presented his first collection. In 1993, he was awarded the City of Munich prize as the best newcomer during Munich Fashion Week. This was followed the next year by the "DIVA-Woolmark" prize for the best Austrian fashion designer.

From 1995 onwards, Kutoğlu began showing in Milan, Dusseldorf, Paris and New York. He has continued to get good reviews and his creations have been well received by all.

The Atıl Kutoğlu label has become known for the Turkish flavor that permeates the rather exotic textured clothes he designs. The influence of the Orient is always present in his collections. His favorite materials are leather, organza, mousseline (a loosely woven fabric resembling muslin), velvet and lustrous materials. Kutoğlu remains faithful to his oriental roots and his creations often transport women to a mystical world. One commentator has even suggested thinking of Scheherazade at the ball.

Clients and admirers of Kutoğlu’s creations include members of the aristocracy and show business personalities, such as Archduchess of Austria Princess Francesca von Habsburg, Princess Ira von Furstenberg, Princess Michael of Kent, pop-star Viktor Lazlo, Mica Ertegun, Princess Camilla von Habsburg, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Naomi Campbell, Nabila Kashoggi and Austria«s former Foreign Minister Dr. Ursula Plassnik.

Some people have criticized Kutoğlu for catering to high society, but when asked to define fashion, Kutoğlu replied: "Fashion is a highly sophisticated branch of art. A fashion trademark emerges by winning the approval of people of sophisticated taste who are not easily satisfied, and by getting into the press. It is recognized on the international platform. I think the fact that consumers at the top of the pyramid today regard a Turkish trademark as a prestige factor like Dior or Chanel is a development that elevates our image."

Kutoğlu undergoes a slight change of direction

In 1997, Kutoğlu added to his repertoire by presenting the first Vienna Fashion Days for which he persuaded one of the leaders of Viennese society and a former model to return to the catwalk. In a change of pace, the designer then set about creating a collection of special silk scarves for Francesca von Habsburg«s exhibition, "The St. Petersburg Muraqqa," which featured oriental miniatures and examples of calligraphy from past centuries.

While deeply immersed in Austrian fashion, one shouldn’t think that Kutoğlu has ignored his native country. When Berna Yılmaz, the wife of the Turkish prime minister at the time, asked him to show off his "Ottoman Collection" in 1999 for the 700th anniversary of the founding of the Ottoman Empire, he did just that against a backdrop of Yıldız Palace.

In another departure from the traditional, Kutoğlu’s designs became part of the big Gustav Klimt retrospective exhibition, "Klimt and the Woman," in 2000. The curators chose 27 Kutoğlu designs, which were put on display next to Klimt paintings in ways that showed the similarity of inspiration in how women might be dressed or painted. Kutoğlu’s designs were presented on dolls in the halls of Belvedere Palace in Vienna where the Klimt exhibit was hung. Both artists’ works showed the influences of the Orient in the use of gold Byzantine ornaments and colorful motifs.

Anyone who has visited the Sakıp Sabancı Museum in Istanbul will have seen Kutoğlu’s beautiful scarves, shawls, ties and t-shirts that are sold there exclusively. Kutoğlu designed the items as a special accessories collection that was inspired by the Sabanci collections and traditional Turkish arts. He transformed motifs and signs from the Ottoman-Arabic script and pages of calligraphy into modern, youthful designs.

Another outstanding accomplishment was the organization of a gala in December 2004 in the Hofburg Palace in Vienna for Dr. Ursula Plassnik who was Austria’s foreign minister at the time. A 27-member team of models struted the 70-meter-long runway to present two of the designer’s his recent collections. The gala was held just prior to the announcement that negotiations between the European Union and Turkey would begin.

In 2005 and 2006 Kutoğlu took on an assignment for the Smithsonian Institute, which was mounting an exhibition of textiles and clothing from Topkapı Palace called "Style and Status." The institute asked Kutoğlu to design a fashion show for the gala opening, and at the same time, a series of items that could be sold in the Smithsonian’s boutique. For the gala, Kutoğlu put together pieces of his spring/summer 2006 collection and included caftans and evening dresses. As for the boutique, his choices were caftans, dresses and t-shirts. The Smithsonian also presented him with an award for his contributions to the international fashion world.

Atıl Kutoğlu has been presenting his collections at fashion shows at New York Fashion Week, and his creations are sold in several countries around the world. About his 2003-2004 collection, the New York Times wrote that Kutoğlu had "managed to mix in incremental amounts of Western (read modern) influences without losing sight of his basic love for his own country and the influences at home. As a result, each collection has become more and more accessible and easier to ’read.’" Kutoğlu has attracted his own fans and supporters at New York Fashion Week, where he is considered a good designer and something of an unofficial ambassador for Turkey’s textile industry. He has also been praised for his well-crafted and precisely cut garments. As a result of his work in New York, Kutoğlu's style has acquired an American feel and is considered cool, wearable and glamorous.

Kutoğlu is a design superstar in Turkey but he has also conquered Europe and the rest of the world with his edgy, romantic and mystic designs. He is considered one of Turkey's biggest exports in spite of the fact that his home base is Vienna. He uses the showrooms of New York as a jumping off point for sales elsewhere around the world.

The designer has been busy coming to Turkey every month, even every two weeks, since last summer because of his new flagship store in Nişantaşı, which opened last December. "Claudio Nardi, a prominent Italian architect and a friend of mine did the interior design of the store in which we are selling. Besides the main ladies' ready-to-wear collections, we are also selling a new ladies' handbag (consisting of 16 different styles) collection and also men's accessories like ties, foulards and leather wallets Ğ all designs of mine.

"We also have a silk scarves’ collection and a semi-couture evening wear collection for ladies in this new store. Turkish socialites, artists, actresses, people from different sectors and friends of mine keep coming and shopping, making the Istanbul store very successful so far. This has been a joint venture between me and the Demsa group, a Turkish retail giant.

"For the future, other store openings are planned for Vienna, Munich, Berlin, New York and London, hopefully starting in 2010. Another new project is a cooperative effort with the Austrian Ministry for Culture and Education. Dr. Claudia Schmied, the Austrian Culture Minister and I came up with the idea of organizing a big fashion event in Vienna next fall to emphasize some social issues, most importantly to prove and show that people from different ethnic backgrounds actually enrich and develop a society and make it much more successful. I am going to curate this fashion event and am already designing a special collection to be presented at a big gala that evening. Artists and performers from various backgrounds will also be performing. "Then, a Kutoğlu menswear collection is also in the making and will most probably be launched internationally in the second half of next year. Other than these, my showrooms and representatives in New York, Germany and the Far East keep us busy with challenging new ideas, projects, etc. etc. Our next fashion show at New York Fashion Week will take place next February," said Kutoğlu. Kutoğlu is not just a creative designer; he thinks creatively in many different spheres. With roots in Vienna, experience in New York, and the heritage of Turkey, Kutoğlu has spun a world of fashion art transcending borders and fashion limits.