We talked to Graphic Designer Dilara Irmak about her profession, street fashion and the activities that need to be experienced in Dubai, the country where she lives.
-Dilara, both our group company Novapera, Vitruta and klue We know you because you created the entire corporate identity of your brand, in fact, you are the secret graphic designer hero of Turkish street fashion for us with what you have done for Novapera's brands in the last 5 years :) Let's hear from you:
Thank you :) It has always been a pleasure for me to work for Novapera brands. After gaining 5 years of agency experience in Istanbul, I decided to work as a 'Freelancer'.
In fact, my first project during this period was the 'Vitruta Branding' design and I prepared every item with great fun. Nowadays, I live in Dubai and I still try to contribute to enjoyable projects :)
-Although you do graphic design work in many different fields, we witnessed your interest in the fashion industry during the launch of vitruta.com. Would you like to share with us the stores you remember most from Europe?
Anna+Nina, Amsterdam
Maha, Amsterdam
Design Art Fashion Storm, Copenhagen
Cubitts, London
-So what are your favorite stores in Dubai?
The only thing missing from Dubai for me is its street culture and therefore its shops.
But of course there are stores that I love; Comptoir 102 – The Good Life – Boutique 1 – Urbanist
Apart from these, Other Stories – Maje – Amercian Vintage, which is available in almost every country, is also among my favorites.
-Recently, we have heard from many people around us that they have started living in Dubai. Can you tell us a little about life in Dubai? What kind of life awaits a young professional in Dubai?
Dubai is a city dominated by expats. Although it is an Arab country, I can say that it is no different from a European country in terms of city layout and bureaucracy. Working conditions are quite advantageous compared to Turkey. Everyone's priorities are different, of course, but if we don't consider the seasonal heat and the lack of vegetation, I think Dubai is an enjoyable place to live. How bad could it be to catch happy hour after work and soak up the sun by the sea :)
-What route would you recommend to people who shop at Vitruta and regularly visit Vitruta stores to follow during a Dubai trip? Where should they visit, see, where should they eat?
Since I think Vitruta's audience will be open to experiences, during their travels to Dubai; I can recommend Desert Safari – Camping or Skydive. They should definitely taste the wonderful aroma of Arabic Coffee. Apart from this, they can attend a chocolate tasting workshop at Mirzam Chocolate on Alserkal Avenue and also visit the art gallery located in the warehouses.
-We see the patterns you designed on the bags and clutches in Klue's special collection for this summer. What was your experience like seeing your designs appear in stores as fashion products?
It was a project that I worked on with great pleasure, without seeing it as work at all. The Klue pattern design process was quite experiential for me. It was a sweet job where I combined natural patterns and pastel colors in a digital environment.
It is very exciting to see these designs in the store, I hope we start to see them more on the streets.