By Meredith Corning
Emerging fashion designer, Gulsha Chereli, is a native of Instanbul, Turkey now residing and working in New York City. Her background consists of earning her degree in Industrial Engineering then going on to pursue her Fashion Design studies at Milan’s most prestigious fashion school, Instituto Marangoni. She later moved to New York and GULSHACHERELI was born, a line synonymous with her own life it would seem. Her pieces are structured, architectural, and brazen in nature, yet still convey a feeling of air and lightness. For her current Spring/Summer 2013 collection, Chereli was inspired by the artist, Antoni Gaudi. The symmetry between Gaudi’s work and GULSHACHERELI‘s collection is apparent in subtle nuances. Guadi observed concepts of structures with limitless space, a feeling of sequence, fragmented with holes and partitions creating a divide without disrupting the feeling of open space by enclosing it with barriers. GULSHACHERELI speaks of these traits and a designer behind the curtain with a spirit of no barriers for women.
You recently debuted your first collection for Spring/Summer 2013. What has surprised you the most about the fashion industry since your launch?
I was surprised by the lack of platforms for emerging and new designers. I think most of the fashion forward people are looking for new designs and designers. People are bored of “the cult” designs and they don’t give any credit to those pieces like they used to. Even though people are looking for new designers, there are simply not enough platforms for emerging and new designers to show themselves and their creations. This is why most of the very talented emerging designers vanish only after their first season.
I always find it fascinating when a designer has a degree or experience in a highly technical field. You hold a degree in Industrial Engineering. How does this affect your design aesthetic?
It affects my choices. Choices of fabrics, trims and about everything that goes into
my designs. I like to create layers and play with textures that I believe comes from my
engineering background.
What have you found to be the best marketing tool for your brand and why?
The best marketing tool is absolutely the social media. And I think it’s not just for my
brand but it’s for any kind of business. Consumers are looking for sincerity and want
to affiliate themselves with the brands they use. That’s also the reason why there are a
growing number of bloggers lately. Bloggers are people just like us. They want to buy
the best product for as little as possible and they use tools like facebook and twitter
to inform their audience. Bloggers find new and fresh designs and also they help their
audience to meet with these fresh designs.
Can you describe a highlight moment for you as a designer that created a feeling of great accomplishment that you have experienced so far?
It was the moment I took a bow after my fashion show in last September. It was a
moment of joy. I was overwhelmed and humbled by the audience. I didn’t invite many
friends and any family. So seeing and hearing that kind of enthusiasm and affection
for the first time from fashion critics and fashion lovers was definitely a memory of
accomplishment for me.
What are your future goals for GULSHACHERELI?
My future goals for GULSHACHERELI is to grow and expand eventually. I plan to have an accessory and a shoe line in the near future. I also have plans for the overall fashion industry but it’s too soon to tell the details…
Meredith Corning 