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Merve Topal

Heritage in Motion

In an age of mass production and disposable goods, traditional textile crafts provide a meaningful alternative. They help safeguard cultural heritage and promote sustainability through the preservation crafts that hold significant cultural value. With roots in Türkiye and coming from a family of artisans, I am especially interested in Anatolian crafts such as Carpet making, Oya (Turkish needle lace) and Ebru art also known as marbling. I reimagine these traditions as dynamic resources for contemporary fashion and design.

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I have incorporated elements of these crafts by transferring the aesthetics of an antique carpet exhibited in a museum onto a garment. Traditional marbling designs, featuring motifs like flowers and leaves, are originally used in bookbinding. Embracing the dyeing technique, I deviated from its conventional rules by dipping and moving the sewn garment into the Water container with the dye, creating an unpredictable pattern. Through the deconstruction of traditional garments and accessories, I extracted key details and silhouettes to create new interpretations.

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This work underscores the importance of preserving these fading traditions, often overlooked in today’s fast-paced world. My focus also highlights the contributions of women, whose labour has kept these crafts alive, while exploring their potential to address pressing issues like sustainability and cultural diversity. Reinterpreting these techniques through a personal lens shaped by migration and heritage, I aim to blend past and future, offering a fresh perspective on their contemporary relevance.

Look Photo: @salvatoredefilippophotography
Creative Direction: @bylauragauch 

Performance Teaser: @anilsarikaya  @bylauragauch