Mehtap Elaidi: Unveiling Unapologetic Elegance

AiSPi had a great conversation with Turkish fashion designer Mehtap Elaidi. Her namesake brand was established in the April of 2000 which can only be described as timeless, unique, and unapologetic most of all. Read on to know more about the brand, its values, and its latest collection that we love. 

Behind The Scenes With Mehtap Elaidi

 Every brand has a great story behind it, and so does Mehtap Elaidi. “We are trying to get into the worlds of unapologetic women. Women who are courageous enough to build their own paths and who have already their own sense of fashion regardless of the dictating trends” says the founder of the brand. What started off as just white shirts now caters to every aspect of the wardrobe. However, the main emphasis lies on sustainability in design and production, prioritizing quality fabrics and meticulous fit.

Cotton As A Brand Staple

The brands love for cotton originated from a beautiful personal story. “My father only used to wear white shirts made of cotton and assumed anything other than that would not be clean enough” shares founder Mehtap Elaidi. She paid homage to her father by starting off the brand with its signature white shirts and continually prioritises cotton as her material of choice.

The Mehtap Elaidi collections from 2023 largely incorporate silk alongside cotton. Multiple pieces even combined these two materials. We asked Mehtap Elaidi the inspiration behind this pairing and she recollects “Silk shantung is another material I like to work with. Many of my designs are made by draping and the texture of that fabric gives me the freedom to create my own experimental cuts which our brand is famously known for”

The Design Process

Every brand needs a little inspiration to create their collects and Mehtap Elaidi’s inspiration comes from its designers life, what she reads, sees, or hears. Residing in the vibrant city of Istanbul, the designer draws inspiration from its culturally rich surroundings. Mehtap Elaidi attributes Türkiye's cultural tapestry as the primary source of inspiration in all her collections

 “So, the first step is always choosing a theme to guide us through the whole process. Then comes the sketching period followed by the colors and the sourcing search for the fabrics to match our designs and theme” shares the founder. Mehtap Elaidi notes that the pattern making process is the most time consuming. Lastly comes the fitting, which the brand puts a special emphasis on.

The brand has a great balance between design, materials, and silhouettes. The founder attributes this success to her experience and intuition. She urges us not to forget to consider functionality and esthetics.

Monochromes, Sequins, Floral And Abstract Work

The designer notes that she loves the contrast monochrome looks bring “I like the contrast in life and try to reflect it in some manner”. Her 2023 collections include a lot of sequin work, floral prints, and abstract artwork. When asked the reason behind combining two different spectrum of designs (Monochrome to Abstract art) she mentions that every single designing detail is always related to the theme. 

Looking Ahead

Mehtap Elaidi is gearing up for the Pre-fall 24 collection, with FW2425 set to captivate audiences in a few weeks. Anticipate more bedazzling designs and thematic stories from Mehtap Elaidi in the coming year.

Written by Kirthi Anand 

All images are courtesy of Mehtap Elaidi 

Take a look at our Istanbul page for the best of Turkish fashion. Follow AiSPi's Instagram to see your favourite designers being interviewed.