This period actually showed how much the fashion industry needs to change but no one has put a special price into it, and in the end it has created a great opportunity for everyone, namely designer, manufacturer, consumer, buyers, to take a step towards changing the existing system by joining at once.
What does the year 2020, which was a very different and challenging year for the whole world, mean for Dice Kayek?
Like any brand, Dice Kayek had a difficult time in 2020.
In late 2019, Dice Kayek opened its first store in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris, in this area, one of the world’s most preferred shopping spots. Customers from all over the world were coming to this store where we sold our Made in Turkey labeled collection.
We had to close our store, which has been very loud and achieved very good results since its opening, for a whilewith restrictions starting in 2020. Of course, we were negatively affected at first when the store was closed and different projects stopped when our business was at its highest.
However, later, by developing new strategies, we strived to make a better use of this process. To increase our online sales, we renewed our website. With virtual appointments made through our team in the boutique, we have reached out to our customers all over the world and we think this system will continue in this way in the coming period.
In this process, what kind of mood were you in while designing your new collections? In addition, did the differentiating and diversifying customer demands and the rapid change in the fashion world reflect on your designs?
In our latest Spring Summer 2021 collection, we took care to use vibrant colors and patterns.
We continue to use vibrant colors in the Fall Winter 2021 collection, which we will also show this month.
Most of our collection is made up of leisure wear, sweatshirts, poplin shirts, dresses. We continue to use volumes and manual labor, which is Dice Kayek’s signature.
Of course, we re-used the fabric stocks we had, and made slight changes to the models that had become Dice Kayek’s signature and presented them to our customers again.
We continue to make our collection presentations around online appointments to our customers all over the world, we also prepare special collections according to the needs of different customers, for example, we work on special models for our sales points located in America or Hong Kong.
Can we get your thoughts on Turkish fabrics? What are the advantages besides its quality and fast availability?
As Dice Kayek brand, we prefer Turkish fabrics as much as possible in our collections.
The quality price parity is a plus for us to prefer Turkish fabrics.
We only buy 100% silk fabrics that cannot be made in Turkey from abroad.
We can run the special fabrics and patterns we want in Turkey without minimum length.
The Turks started to provide the services provided by Italian fabricists, it was a great convenience for us, we can prevent extra costs such as customs.
We are going through a period where the world is changing rapidly with the effect of the Covid19 pandemic. What do you think is changing in the fashion industry and what is the time to change? (Could you please tell us about your thoughts and works on sustainability in this context?)
This period actually showed how much the fashion industry needs to change but no one has put a special price into it, and in the end it has created a great opportunity for everyone, namely designer, manufacturer, consumer, buyers, to take a step towards changing the existing system by joining at once.
We have seen that everyone comes together with solidarity and takes action to implement positive change in the textile and fashion sector, which is the biggest cause of environmental pollution after energy and is over-produced.
As Dice Kayek, we attach great importance to sustainability. We produce what we sell, avoid over-production.
We use the fabrics we have in our new collections and production.
The fashion industry unfortunately drives a lot of consumption, but now the consumer also pays a lot of attention when making purchases.
What is the place of digital in your work at a time when digitalization is embracing all areas of life? How do you position yourself in the digital world from your designs to e-commerce?
Since there are travel restrictions in 2020, we have all turned to digital platforms.
Dice Kayek is sold in 80 different stores all over the world.
Under normal circumstances, while we welcome our customers to Fashion Week time in Paris, now we present collections on digital platforms and take their orders through online appointments.
In addition, we have renewed the Dice Kayek e-commerce platform again, working on strategies that increase our online sales all over the world.
Fashion Weeks are also made digitally, so we promote our collections with fashion films.
Our film, which we shot in Istanbul in September, made tremendous impact, and in February we will be featured on the platforms watched by the whole world with a new film.
What are your expectations and goals from 2021? Could you give us some tips about the fashion of the future that you think you might be very striking?
A new era begins in 2021, in which other important criteria stand out by consumers, there will be a more sustainable fashion industry.
There is now a consumer who pays more attention to quality products and production conditions.
The demand for cheap and poor quality products will decrease further, there will be a lot of demand for brands that respect sustainability and the environment that can do the opposite.