John Paul Ataker NYFW SS18
Represented by JMPR & Marketing.
Nothing spices up a show quite like Karlie Kloss leading a voluminous, embroidered train. We’re long-time fans of the model, in large part because of all the work she does educating children. In that sense, she was also the ideal centerpiece of Numan Ataker’s NYFW presentation: a show that had everything to do with educating the public about the dangers of environmental damage, and the role of “fast fashion” in the current crisis.
Ataker wanted to deliver “a grave warning,” and his trope of choice was the the Chernobyl nuclear environmental disaster. (The show was choreographed to honor its victims.) The show closed with a song by Kazim Koyuncu, a favorite musician from The Black Sea Region, who was a victim of the fatal nuclear fallout of Chernobyl meltdown in 1986.
John Paul Ataker: NYFW SS18
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The collection was inspired by the Black Sea Region of Turkey, a geo-ecological zone of deep blue waters and green fertile lands. The show comes in anticipation of John Paul Ataker’s first U.S. flagship store opening in October 2017 at 804 Madison Avenue and 67th Street in New York City.
The show comes in anticipation of Ataker’s first U.S. flagship store
True to the region’s heritage both as a port, and as a confluence between East and West (after all, Constantinople was once located here), the looks made use of knots and diaphanous materials, that gave the collection an otherworldly quality, even as it seemed to pay homage to the simplicity of the seas.
According to the press materials, the collection incorporates the “wicker quilt art of fishermen, fishing and sailing ropes, and authentic wrung bracelets of the silversmiths of Trebizond … knitting and weaving artisanship, and ethnic Kazaz silver knot art.”
diaphanous materials gave the collection an otherworldly quality
The Black Sea has become a bearer of what designer Numan Ataker has termed “slow fashion.” He is calling on other parts of the world to opt for slow fashion because “it is about being purposeful and realizing that fewer is better and healthier both for humankind and our planet.”
Ataker is calling on other parts of the world to opt for slow fashion
In line with “slow fashion” principles, all of the materials and dyes were chosen to be as environmentally and ecologically friendly as possible, with a focus on human health and wellness, not only with the end products and wearer in mind, but throughout the production process as well.
The runway also presented a line of exclusive shoes designed by John Paul Ataker as contemporary interpretations of traditional fishermen’s boots and farmers’ footwear embellished with metallic fishermen cords that will be sold in the Madison Avenue store.
The models purposefully conveyed Ataker’s message that “natural is beautiful” and wore very minimal makeup with the fishermen’s ropes used in the collection also tied into their hair.
Other world-renowned models walking the Ataker runway included Taylor Hill, Lameka Fox, Faretta, Birgit Kos, Charlee Fraser, and Dayana Mendoza.
About John Paul Ataker
International designer John Paul Ataker’s sophisticated style and high-quality tailoring rapidly catapulted the company to an industry-leading position after its 1977 founding in Istanbul. Now headquartered in New York, the design house maintains its commitment to ensuring every woman who wears the brand feels both the elegance of the design and the soft caress of its luxurious fabrics. John Paul Ataker has been featured in numerous fashion and lifestyle publications including Vogue, W, InStyle, Yahoo! Style, People Magazine.
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With love,
FWO
