Atil Kutoglu returns to Turkey to seek inspiration for his fall–winter 2003–4 collection in New York, reports Phillip D. Johnson

PHOTOGRAPHED BY RICHARD SPIEGEL

Atil Kutoglu paid homage to Turkey with customary harem knee pants and kaftans in earthtone colours, but the rest was quite modern

HEN A DESIGNER has significant ties to his native culture and heritage—be it someone who with strong ties to the African–American hip-hop culture or one from a peasant village in Peru—he or she invariably comes up against a conundrum: how much of one’s culture should you inject into a collection before it passes the point of parody?
   We see this all the time in New York when designers from other countries show for the first time at the Bryant Park tents. They are rightfully proud of their heritage and must protect their base customers at all costs but the desire to expand beyond one’s natural boundaries is paramount to their eventual growth. So, how much of your collection should calm the natives and how much should demonstrate your ability to assimulate into the global fashion society?
   From the very beginning, Turkish designer Atil Kutoglu has attempted to face this decision in a forthright manner, and it is now bearing fruit in his fall 2003 collection. With each successive collection shown in New York, he has managed to mix in incremental amounts of western (read modern) influences without losing sight of his basic love for his own country and the influences at home. As a result, each collection has become more and more accessible and easier to “read” while we absorb the underlying tutorial he gives about Turkey through the clothing.
   Fall 2003 has Mr Kutoglu in a somewhat reflective mood. He went back to the desert of his native Turkey and the earth for inspiration, and came back with a collection was his best effort yet. While he paid homage to his homeland with the customary harem knee pants and kaftans in gold and other earthtone colours, the rest of the collection was quite modern in the cut, silhouettes and ways in which he manages to elevate his craft to new heights.

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