Beauty From The Bazaar, Surreal Jewelry By Turkish Designer Begüm Khan

Beauty From The Bazaar, Surreal Jewelry By Turkish Designer Begüm Khan - Forbes

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Beauty From The Bazaar, Surreal Jewelry By Turkish Designer Begüm Khan - Forbes

Turkish designer Begüm Khan was born into the world of design, surrounded by a family of art collectors. This left its mark on Begüm and as a result, she established her eponymous line in 2011, near the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul.

The initial offering was cufflinks (she designed her own as a wedding gift to her brother), and this evolved into jewelry and clutches, all of which influenced by the decadence of the Ottoman Empire and South-East Asian. Here, 24kt gold and bronze, is thoughtfully combined with baroque pearls, root rubies and vibrant aquamarine. Each piece of opulent jewelry and cufflinks are handmade in their atelier just outside of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar to give richer authenticity.

Felicity Carter: What was your first fashionable memory?

Begüm Khan: Princess Diane de Beauvau Craon, muse to Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld, is one of my uncle’s best friends. I remember her coming to Istanbul to stay with us when I was a child. She was and still is the most stylish, elegant, charming creature, I ever seen. In time, I grew up and she has also become my friend and a muse to me.

I adored and still adore everything she wears, she says and the way she moves!

FC: How, when, why did you get into the industry?

BK: I started the brand Begum Khan in 2012. In the beginning it was a cufflinks brand. When my brother was getting married, I was looking for cufflinks a gift.

I couldn’t find what I was looking for and I decided to design them. I loved the process of designing and spending time in the atelier; I couldn't stay away and my brand was organically came to life.

FC: How would you sum up the aesthetic?

BK: I think i have a contemporary approach the design with a timeless aesthetic in my mind. It is very important to me that a piece I made today is wearable today but at the same time it should be still relevant after 20 years. And sense of humor is key for me for both life and design.

FC: What is luxury to you?

BK: Luxury is very personal. For me it’s time and it is the freedom to be able to do what I want to, how I want to do, when and where I want to do.

FC: Who is your customer?

BK: We have customers from all around the World. They are all very different and very individual but I think what they share in common is their courage to be who they really are, their elegance to have a unique style and their boldness to be different from everyone else. They are women I admire and I get inspired to design. I am very lucky to have met them through my brand.

FC: Which was the first-ever piece that you designed and how did it come about?

BK: First earrings I ever designed were ‘Caretta Party Earrings’ which still today are a best-seller. I had designed an oversized turtle as a big lapel pin for a friend’s tuxedo. Then I thought this huge turtle would actually look very good on my ears for a party i was going in Venice. Then I thought I needed a gold touch. And Voila! I added the golden ball and first piece of women collection was born.

FC: Tell us about the process and materiality...

BK: Of course everything starts with an idea and somehow with a need. I love jewellery myself - obviously – and sometimes I find myself looking for a specific piece or colour or shape to wear with a specific dress, or day time or by the beach and depending what I need, I keep creating pieces.

First I sketch very quickly, and from the sketch we start casting the first sample. We make a lot changes on the first sample and it take us months to come with the perfect design. Then we start making them. I use a lot of gold and bronze - a material Ottomans used a lot in the classical jewellery making - and then we encrust them with diamonds, crystals, turquoises, corals, semi precious gems depending on the shape and design.