How did we reach here?
When three talented sisters- Selda, Sibel, and Ulku-founded Nisan Design in 1992 they set out to bring emotion and feeling into fashion collections. Since then the sisters' work has been described as sophisticated and trendy-with an eye toward colors. Oranges, violets, greens-flavorful colors in harmony with fabric and trend. As a design house, Nisan Design specializes in fabrics, textiles, and fashions-along with woven designs for yarn dye such as checks and stripes. As a full-service house, they also help companies with production for print and plain dye fabrics and garments, as well as create new collections. Nisan Design's major work focuses on designing get ready collections. Customers include Top Shop, H&M, and Debenhams in Europe. U.S. customers includes JCPenny and Levis Strauss & Co's 150 Years T-shirt collections. Emotional fashion The sisters believe fashion is emotion. It's always changing, nothing is classic. Inspiration comes from how clothing makes women feel. Working from an intuition about women's tastes, the sisters infuse self-belief and delight into their designs. Nisan Design aims for women to show their bodies in a confident, feminine, sexy style because those styles make women feel self-assured and attractive. Women want fresh ideas, mixed up styles with light, comfortable fabrics. They want to show their bodies-and so need a perfect fit. The sisters are passionate about emotional fashion for all women-not just the wealthy or young. Fashion from an early age Like any well run business, Nisan Design splits the roles. Sibel specializes in spotting trends and historical research. Selda's business sense marks her for marketing, sales, and operations. And Ulku, the oldest, is the fount of fashion inspiration and creativity. The sisters' experience goes back generations. They come from a long family history in textiles. Their father operated a yarn cutting business, and their mother opened a couture salon in 1950s Istanbul. In Istanbul she also taught sewing-with many of her students operating their own businesses today. Ulku took to her mother's craft immediately. She began creating collections for her dolls at age three. Ulku went on to train at Istanbul's Academy of Mimar Sinan University-finishing top of her class in printing and weaving design. She went on to study fashion and language at the Universita per stranieri di Sienna in Italy. Sibel, for her part, studied fashion at Marmara University's Academy of Art in Istanbul. Her early internships and career path included Guney Sanayi and Menuscat Santral in Turkey, St. Mauritz House in London, and Macy's, Nordstrom's, and Saks Fifth Avenue in the U.S. Selda's fashion resume is equally extensive. She earned a Masters in Printing and Industrial Design from Mimar Sinan University in Istanbul. In 1997 she went freelance as a textile designer in both the Turkish and UK markets. Clients included Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, and Valentina. She currently also works with BISPUNT in Barcelona-Mataro Spain. The sisters now split their time between London and San Francisco. That international flavor expands the company's influences-from early Byzantium and Ottoman patterns, to European sophisticate, to California casual. From intuition springs inspiration Before starting a new collection the sisters closely watch the latest trends, especially colors and fabrics. They head to the cities to observe what women wear for work-or dining at a charming bistro. Fashion shows oftentimes give the earliest clues to trends. "The catwalk models always know if a collection will be a hit," says Ulku. "If confidence shows from their walk and smile, you know a trend is born. But if they frown...." A nod to fashion history Trends in mind, the sisters then look to fashion history for inspiration. By researching historical fabrics, colors, and patterns Nisan Design can bring stunning ideas into today's fashion world. Resources include the Internet and libraries for inspiration from the 15th century Istanbul or fin de siècle Paris, as examples. After they thoroughly research the collection, they search for a special fabric. Nisan Design's textile background gives them a singular relationship with fabrics. They take great care matching fabric with color and style. Only then do they bring it all together with their own creative sensibilities. A vision for family fashion As for the future, the sisters' passion looks toward to fashion
collections for families. Their vision, for example, encompasses
designs for mothers with their children. "When family members wear
clothing from the same collection, they demonstrate to the world the
strength of their bond," says Sibel. "It shows love and
togetherness-feelings everyone wants."
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