Burc Akyol has spent the better part of a decade getting his namesake brand up and running. Little by little, with mettle and pluck, it has gained real traction. The flipside? Long nights in the studio tend to mean missing out on a lot of what’s happening out there in the city.
As he began his fall collectsion, shown in the stunning but slow-to-access top floor at the Institut du Monde Arabe, Akyol said he made a conscious decision to reconnect with Paris in all its sensuality, impertinence and sense of transgression. “I was thinking, ‘OK, so these clothes we’ve been putting out there, the caryatids, the draping, the tailoring: why are they here? Why do they tap into my feelings and obsessions?’” he explained backstage before the show. “I needed to get out there and understand where I am as a person and a designer and how I can push things further.”
Diving back into Paris by night—make that all night—made him realize a simple truth: the Parisienne does have more fun. Pausing on that thought, he added: “It’s not a walk of shame, exactly, but there’s so much in those still-tipsy early morning hours, with the perfect light, the breeze, the music still in your head.” The designer titled his fall lineup “Collectionneuse”—the feminine form of collectsor (of men, of beauty, of moments, of sensations—read into it what you will). But despite name-checking Marilyn Monroe in his notes, what he really meant was the Parisienne.
The show opened where night leaves off, with a black marabou cape that, in Akyol’s eye, would be exactly what one might catch wafting across the Pont des Arts at dawn. That piece alone has a backstory: Akyol tracked down the French factory that once made such garment for Yves Saint Laurent in order to produce this version, which is lighter than it looks.
As the show unfurled, Akyol revisited signatures, ticking favorite boxes along the way: strong shoulders, enveloping volumes, panels tied up in front on a white coat cropped to Spencer length in back. Tailored jackets looked particularly sharp, wrenched just so thanks to an extra button. An able colorist, Akyol leaned into what he called “18th-century antechamber” hues, like deep green, gold and burgundy. He even ventured into leopard—that Paris staple—in a long wool dress with a low scoop and a high slit in the back, the better to catch those plumetis stockings (a nod to the personal style of his beloved aunt). But a couple of other looks caught the true spirit of Parisian nonchalance better, for example an easy top over a long slip dress with a ruffled hem.
The winner of last year’s ANDAM Pierre Bergé award, Akyol has the potential, and the drive, to keep growing his brand (plus he has a solid mentor in Alex Mattiussi). As a designer of dual cultures, he is also well-placed to understand the richness and texture that can bring to the fashion conversation. Now that we’ve seen the sexy (which mostly works), it would be nice to see a slightly broader vision. A change of venue would be welcome, too.
