
Dilek Hanif, a household name of the Turkish fashion industry, is an entrepreneur/designer who combined her talent and energy to express her country’s sense of style and creativity and thus has managed to become a true symbol of modern Turkey.
Throughout her career, she has traveled to the four corners of the world as the ambassadress of the Turkish culture and through a mixture of style and social activities the name Dilek Hanif has become synonymous with a successful international career.
Born in 1962 in Istanbul, the designer created her first collection by 1990 in a small workshop in Nişantaşı, a fashion corner of the illustrious city.
In 2002, surrounded by the magical atmosphere of the Hagia Irene Church, she presented her first Haute- Couture collection which earned two prestigious awards, the “Best Woman Designer of the Year” from Avon and “Most Successful Woman of the Year” by Oriflame.
In 2004, she became the first Turkish fashion designer to be featured at the Paris Haute-Couture Week and presented her Spring-Summer collection.
During the same year, in support of Ralph Lauren’s “Fashion Targets Breast Cancer” cause, Dilek Hanif organized a fashion show at the American Embassy of Istanbul.
She went on, in 2005, to win the AGED (Alternatif gelişim derneği) award for her contribution to the perception of quality in fashion design.
Between the years 2005 and 2011, Dilek Hanif Couture thrived on the international platform with every collection presented.
In 2011, with great entrepreneurial spirit, she decided to launch her ready to wear line under the brand “Dilek Hanif”
Since 2011, Dilek Hanif had several collaborative ventures with such household names as Chopard, L’Oréal, Walt Disney and Turkish Airlines. After she received the Communications Award from Beykent University for her international success during her career, she also was awarded by the Rotary Club for an outstanding career. In 2012 she was elected to be part of the Turkish Clothing Manufacturers Association’s management board.
In 2013, Dilek Hanif Haute-Couture Collection as well as the ready to wear Dilek Hanif line started to be carried by the prestigious Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York. The exquisite creations from both couture and ready to wear have been selected at prestigious events by such stars and icons as Jane Fonda, Rebecca Romjin, Katherine Heigl, Nicole Richie, Iggy Azelea, Miranda Kerr, Kelly Brook and Sophia Bush.