For Lavin Karakoc, beauty hides in the places between “what’s felt and said”. The designer’s second collection, which was showcased at the Hellenic Centre in Marylebone, was an honest analysis of itself, bringing together leather-clad eveningwear with modest silhouettes and bucolic flatcaps; unashamed of its unpredictability.
According to the Turkish designer, a lot of the brand’s artistic inspiration comes from the timeless aesthetics of black-and-white films. With the designer even citing her love of early 1900s cinema as the motivation behind one of the show’s most ambitious components: a real time black-and-white projection, capturing both the collection and the audience, which played alongside the runway. “I wanted to make a moment a memory,” she said.
Although her brand is new, Karakoc has been pursuing fashion since the age of 14. First interning for a clothing-company in Istanbul, before moving to Italy and then London to study. The designer has built a reputable portfolio of experience, which she says only drives her work ethic more; “If they want you to give 100 per cent, you have to give 200,” Karokoc said of London’s vapid hustle culture. “When I graduated, I thought that I could go and work for a company or two, but I knew that I wanted to try to start my own brand. So, I did,” she added.
In her first formal interview, and off the back of her London Fashion Week debut, Karakoc spoke to us about uncertainty, perseverance and finding her footing as a designer:
MF: This is your first Fashion Week show, which is a huge leap in any designer’s career. What was building that like?
LK: I wasn’t initially thinking about making a show. But, I realised that making one can really help build an environment for your brand; people can understand you more when they’re in that atmosphere. But, with it being my first one, I was really nervous, so many things came out wrong, so many things came out in a different way. I learnt so much. I can’t believe I did it. After the show, I couldn’t get out of bed for four days.
I feel like there’s another Lavin doing it. I couldn’t get used to seeing my name as my brand. I also feel like I’m meeting a new person in me, like there’s a different version inside of me that I’m meeting every time I make a collection. It’s exciting.
MF: In this collection you explored the tension that’s created from the spaces in between – are there any spaces that have defined your brand or the way you craft your designs?
LK: The main idea was to create something that felt like a moment turning into a memory. I wanted to do that by projecting the show onto one of the walls in the space. It was black-and-white, to make it feel nostalgic, because I love cinematography, I love watching black-and-white movies. I just want people to feel like they’re watching the moment they’re experiencing in real life turn into a memory on the wall. So many people were waving to the camera and taking pictures of themselves, and we really wanted to try to create that energy.
MF: It felt like the show was broken up between two places; as if your garments were existing in both the tangible realm – the hall we were sitting in – and also the screen in front of us. Was that a difficult process to get right?
LK: On the day of the show, I went in wanting all three walls to be covered in the black-and-white projection, all showing different angles. But, one of the projectors stopped working so we had to change plans and only show it on one wall.
The whole team was so supportive. I found out that I needed a lighting designer two days before the show, and the person who did it agreed to help me because they wanted to work with a new designer and have more creative reign. It’s all about being part of a team. Even my stylist Morena – who’s done some pretty big shows – was helping me manage everything.
MF: You’ve talked a lot about the concept behind your collection but how much of yourself, if any, did you put into this?
LK: I’ve actually thought a lot about how the collection, and the looks in it, speak to me. Like, the full body dresses and the jacket looks, which I adore. Even though so many things changed, I think it all speaks to me. Those mysterious looks are something that I really enjoy doing; the black and white concept; the blocks of colours; the deconstructed masculinity that I wanted to show on the garments.
I mean, your design language always changes. I know mine is going to change. But, I’m really happy at the point I’m at now with it. I know in five years my collections will be elevated, different, maybe much better. But, even then I will be thinking: I can do better!