DILEK HANIF

Dilek Hanif, a true Turkish fashion pioneer who through her creative, brave and visionary personality has been able to translate her Anatolian cultural heritage into the world fashion scene.

She has build up from scratch a well respected brand through her perfectionist, principled and strong willed stance all the while managing to be a fashion designer, an entrepreneur, a cultural ambassador and even a mother at the same time.

By combining her natural creativity with hard work and productivity she was able to create a world wide renowned brand.

The fashion guru was born in Istanbul in 1962. Her interest in fashion started when at a very young age she started helping with her parent’s textile business. She established her first brand, the Dilek Hanif line, as early as 1990 and entered the international fashion world with her first Haute Couture fashion show in 2002 in the beautiful and historical setting of the Aya İrini Church in 2002. In 2003, she was awarded Woman Fashion Designer of the Year with her spring-summer collection where she used the traditional needle embroidered figures. Then in 2004, again with a spring-summer collection she became the first Turkish fashion designer to present a collection at the Paris Haute Couture Week thus becoming a true pioneer. Following 2004, her collection became an acclaimed regular fixture at the show every year. In 2011, with great entrepreneurial spirit, she decided to launch her ready-to-wear line under the brand “Dilek Hanif”. In addition to being an international Turkish brand in the world fashion industry she has managed to become a global brand with great market sales, unique selling points and high quality production capacity.

Dilek Hanif was able to design modern and feminine dresses through a synthesis her futuristic personal style and the rich cultural legacy of the Ottomans. By successfully combining, for each collection, her traditional approach with Haute Couture design and elegance Hanif added a new dimension to the Turkish woman fashion scene. Her designs, while emphasing and celebrating femininity, remain of a simple elegance, away from exaggeration and full of romanticism. The high quality fabrics used, the crafty and precise hand stitching and her relentless pursuit of perfection in each design resulted in each piece being receptioned as artwork masterpieces.

Dilek Hanif was able to capture such a harmony between the past and the modern that a certain quality of timelessness became inherent of her creations. Dilek is inspired mostly by venturing into the unknown but she carries with her a certain set of beliefs such as the necessity of being strong and independant as a woman, being disciplined and also transparent which always translates into her designs.

Dilek Hanif remains a regular patron of all social causes and historical, cultural movements while giving the most importance to the rights of women and children and also the conservation of the cultural values of her homeland.

Her ready to wear creations which always carry some undertones of her Haute Couture culture are preferred today by many world renowned celebrities, fashion icons and personalities. The Dilek Hanif brand is part of the elite household names in the world of Haute Couture and Dilek Hanif is considered a cultural ambassador of Turkey.