Zeynep Serdengecti designs clothes for women who, like her, aren’t afraid to take up space. Surrounded by the ornate details of Istanbul’s fashion, the womenswear designer swims against the tide. Her latest collection is crisp, smooth and strong. Shirts are the clear basis of inspiration. Soft cotton is dyed in softer shades of blue and yellow, and precisely crafted into wide skirts and shirtdresses with sharp pleats and assertive silhouettes.
Before meeting with Zeynep over a video call, I’d read that this collection, ‘With After Time’, was a reflection on personal evolution. I was, therefore, hoping to discover a woman who possessed a balance of strength and softness herself, and was not disappointed.
If you’re clued up on the Turkish fashion scene, then Zeynep will likely need no introduction. The Istanbul-based womenswear designer has been creating garments under her self-eponymous label for nearly a decade, and is known for offering her distinct, minimal style to global red carpets such as the Emmy Awards and Cannes Film Festival. Zeynep’s couture journey started in 2018 with her own bridal gown. The understated design was a dramatic subversion of traditional ornate bridalwear, and soon she was inundated with requests from women across the world. “It showed me that thoughtful, quiet design can have a global reach,” she explained.
Growing up in Istanbul, Zeynep looked to the simple designs of Japan and Northern Europe, still evident in Zeynep’s strong silhouettes and seamless elegance. While her style is based on cultures further from home, her home city left its mark elsewhere. “Istanbul is a city of contrasts. It’s chaotic, yet poetic. I’ve been given an appreciation for craftsmanship, culture, beauty, and most of all, balance.”
Zeynep balances the chaos of Istanbul with intentionally calm collections. For her, clothing has the power to change how you feel no matter where you are. “I’ve always looked at the women around me, how they express themselves with proportions and colours, the way clothing changes how they feel. I believed I could change how women see clothes.” It is this depth of Zeynep’s design process, her fascination with the inner life of women, that elevates her collections close to simple perfection.
Starting her early adult years with a degree in Sociology, she was originally preoccupied with simply understanding people. Eventually, she landed on fashion as her chosen language. “You can read everything in clothes. You can see into someone’s soul, really, by what they choose to wear,” Zeynep told me. “My feelings are very deep, and what I wear changes that feeling. If I just put on that shirt and go out, my feelings will change.” Look at her latest collection, ‘With After Time’, and you can sense the quiet strength that Zeynep hopes to give her wearers.
“I have learned that confidence doesn’t come from adding more details. It comes from knowing what you leave out. My latest collection reflects that journey,” she explains. Now 35 years old, ‘With After Time’ expresses both her development as a designer with almost a decade in the industry, and as an individual. It’s clear that for Zeynep, there is little distinction between the two. “When I look at my earlier collections, I see someone trying to prove herself. Today, I feel much more comfortable with simplicity. It’s about becoming calmer, more intentional, and designing pieces that feel meaningful rather than temporary.”
The latest collection is a culmination of Zeynep’s maturity. A simplistic capsule wardrobe, it’s designed for women who have done the experimenting and now know exactly what they want. “Maturity isn’t about age. It’s about clarity. It’s understanding who you are, no longer feeling the need to chase everything. As a designer, maturity has allowed me to trust quietness and quality. Now I’m in my 30s, I don’t have to prove myself. I know what I should wear, who I want to be with, what I want to do with my life,” Zeynep told me. This collection was designed for the women who connect and relate to Zeynep, and the point of personal development she’s currently settled in. “We choose pieces more intentionally now. We know who we are.”
