DB Berdan SS22

At Istanbul Fashion Week last month, Turkish-born, London-based designers Beg Berdan and Deniz Berdan recently revealed the continuation of their ambitious plan to produce zero-consumption couture.  The duo’s much talked about brand, DB Berdan, delivered a unique perspective on sustainability, aided by a carefully crafted curation of up-cycled looks to unite forward-thinking individuals and eradicate heteronormative gender norms.

Doubled down in denim, it was the 80s reborn. (Look 2) Half-and-half jackets featured inside out denim on one side to create a mismatched vision to evoke unconscious feelings of being ever-so rebellious.  A lace-up corset with orange accents wrapped around the jacket, while washed denim extended down to the back of the knee revealing a polka dot mini-skirt with red abstract stitch detailing.

The formality that was seen came in the futurism of DB Berdan’s double-breasted blazer, with the asymmetric cut extending the blazer’s hem in an understated exploration of the avant-garde.  Quad-colour stitching also decorated the various cutouts adorning the collar and sleeves to hint at an untold story beneath (or in this case, on) the skin.

Skin-tight athleisure silhouettes adhered to a post-modern take on society and the creativity therein.  Suit-like in their seamlessness, the minimalistic designs contrasted the rest of the collection with a thought-provoking yet anachronistic time-stamp from somewhere in the near future.  Colour variations ranged from neutral greys and candy pinks and yellows, to ominous deep-space blacks.

Of course, couture was represented with the collection’s signature garment – an off-the-shoulder, dusty pink dress bearing the slogan, ‘The best time to plant trees was 25 years ago’ – again hinting at the time-out-of-place undercurrents on show. The message was overt and unapologetic in highlighting the fashion industry’s tendency for over-consumption and its damaging secondary effects on the environment and society in general.  In fact, the hand-written text in block capitals found their inspiration in the placards and banners seen at protests and movements all over the world. The only difference here is that DB Berdan have reinterpreted them as couture design to spread the same strong message in subtler and, perhaps, as yet unthought of effective ways.

DB Berdan’s particularly idiosyncratic curation of streetwear, sportswear and couture styles underpins a new collection that challenges prevalent notions and norms, whilst depicting their own theories and experimentations on the post-modern society’.  With merely a fraction of DB Berdan’s ideas on display, it will be very interesting to see where Beg and Deniz go next.

For more information on DB Berdan, click here