Encounter with Emre Tamer

Please introduce yourself to our readers:

I am an Austrian-Turkish designer and artist. I was born in Austria and grew up in Izmir, at the west coast of Turkey. My multicultural background helped develop my creativity a lot.

My studies involved different fields such as graphic design, painting, illustration and finally fashion design. Fashion design and illustrations are my fields of specialization.

What inspires you in general?

I am generally inspired by objects, artworks and architectural forms. I try to transfer these forms to my fashion works.

What is it like to be a young designer in your city/country?

In Vienna and Istanbul, fashion is really developing a lot. For young designers, there is a lot of support coming from the Austrian Cultural Minister Dr. Claudia Schmied. I was one of the winners of a scholarship, which helped me a lot to start my own career in fashion. The fashion scene in Vienna is very small but there are very interesting designers.

In Istanbul there are also numerous of cool designers – the scene is also developing a lot.

What place/city do you find inspiring?

I like Paris very much. Paris doesn’t look very beautiful on the pictures - You need to live, smell and enjoy that magical beauty!

I guess, I cannot compare Paris to any other city. I love PARIS so much.

What is the concept behind your latest collection?

I was inspired by Ammonites and Nautiloids, which named my latest collection. I was inspired by the shapes and pleats of these beautiful shell pieces. I was also inspired by the interesting texture of a shell and used it for the digital prints of the collection. 

Describe your collection in three words:

Innovative, experimental and avant-garde.

What kind of feeling do you want to transfer with your latest collection?

I want the people to see where the inspiration comes from. They will easily feel it with the digital print designs and pleats, which will cover the entire collection. I feel so lucky to having found the right pleats material for the collection, because I did a global research for it. I also took care that some pieces will have a very experimental approach but some will also be wearable and will easily reach the market. Press attention is very important and press generally only cares about experimental pieces.

Can you tell us something about your journey to Singapore and your experiences there?

Singapore was a very interesting journey. I started with my collection there. I visited a pleats fabric, which is one of the best in the world. I talked a lot with them about the collection and the right fabrics and pleats techniques. I also started to realize the first try-outs with the help of one of the Indonesian pattern-makers. I'm so happy with the result. In Singapore, I was also appointed as a guest lecturer for a period of time. It was very nice to share my knowledge in fashion drawing and fashion illustrating with the future fashion generation.

Did you always wanted to work in the field of fashion?

Yes…Since my childhood, the real thing I wanted to do was fashion. My background in painting and graphic design is a big plus and gives me a different approach.

Do you have a muse? If yes, who is it and why?

MADONNA! She always succeeds to be new, to change and to shock! There is only one queen! And that's MADONNA bitch!

Who is your favorite fashion designer?

Hussein Chalayan, Viktor & Rolf, Maison Martin Margiela, Raf Simons.

What is so far your greatest experience in your 'fashion' career?

I am so happy to be one of the selected designers for FASHIONCLASH. I was also selected to join the European Talent exhibition at the Textile Museum in Tilburg, which also took place in The Netherlands. The Netherlands understand my fashion language :)

What is on your music list while your making your collection?

Anthony and The Johnsons, Madonna, Massive Attack.

What made you smile today?

The weather is finally nice in Vienna so I ate one big ice-cream :)

What is the latest thing you bought for yourself?

One bottle of champagne.

What can we expect from you in the future?

I will present my collections at fashion shows and exhibitions like FASHIONCLASH and I hope to be part of this event in the next years. I will continue to represent Austria and I also would like to continue my teaching activities.

Credits:

Label name: Emre Tamer

Website: www.emretamer.at

Photographer: Philipp Jelenska

Models: Monika (Ph Models), Lukas (Stella Models), Kadir (Flair Models)

Hair & Make-Up: Shlomit Migay

Stylist: Simon Winkelmüller