Yasemin Dikerel, winner of last year’s 10th International Bridal Gown Design Competition held within the scope of IF Wedding Fashion İzmir – Bridal Wear, Groom Wear and Eveningwear Fair, has completed her preparations for her Performance Fashion Show.
Excited to present the first collection of her professional career at IF Wedding Fashion İzmir, the meeting point of renowned fashion designers, Dikerel said:
“I’ve wanted to create a collection for a long time. After winning first place in last year’s competition, I was finally able to realize this dream.”
Only days remain until the opening of the 14th IF Wedding Fashion İzmir – Bridal Wear, Groom Wear and Eveningwear Fair, which will be held this year for the 14th time between January 21–24, organized by İZFAŞ in partnership with the Aegean Clothing Manufacturers Association (EGSD) and hosted by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality. Since its inception, IF Wedding Fashion İzmir has contributed to both the sector and the national economy, and in addition to designs that shape global fashion, it continues to introduce young designers to the industry.
One of the most important initiatives for the future of the sector, the Bridal Gown Design Competition, offers its winners the opportunity to present a Performance Fashion Show with their own collections the following year, helping them enter the fashion world. The owner of this year’s Performance Fashion Show at the 14th IF Wedding Fashion İzmir will be Yasemin Dikerel, winner of last year’s competition. Competing under the theme “Creativity in Simplicity,” where 125 designers submitted 375 designs, Dikerel won first place with her design titled “Hsi-Ling-Shi,” named after the Chinese Empress credited with discovering silk. She will take the stage with a 20-piece collection.
On Thursday, January 23, the young designer will experience the excitement of presenting her first professional runway show at IF Wedding Fashion İzmir, Europe’s largest Bridal Wear, Groom Wear and Eveningwear Fair, with her collection titled “Lechuguilla.”
A collection with a social responsibility message
At a time when drought is a major global concern, Dikerel is preparing to make a strong debut in the fashion world. She explained:
“My collection is called Lechuguilla. It is an underground cave located in New Mexico, USA, known as one of the most difficult caves in the world to access. It never sees sunlight and is enriched only by forms shaped by water—the sole source of life inside. It is an incredibly unique cave. Through this collection, I wanted to interpret the importance of water, the need for conservation, and water’s role as the greatest life-giving force in the universe in a different way.”
The “Dikerel” signature from design to production
Stating that she aimed to create a wearable art collection, Dikerel said she prepared a 20-piece, eveningwear-focused collection for the Performance Fashion Show. She noted that she used a wider range of colors and forms in her designs and described her design and production process as follows:
“I shaped textures using velvet strips. In places, I used cotton and feathers, combining them with beads in different ways to create unique surfaces. Since I was inspired by the stalactite forms inside the cave, I focused heavily on form and texture. If I had handed this to an embroiderer, it probably wouldn’t have turned out the same, so I created the collection entirely based on my own instincts. I personally carried out all the production and embellishment processes. I once watched a documentary and had long wanted to create a collection that reflects the unique beauty of this cave. After winning first place in last year’s competition, I was finally able to realize that dream.
I believe there is no age or limit to learning in design—we will always remain students. I am a huge fan of Beyoncé. My dream is that after establishing my own design studio, I will one day create a design that reflects her inspiring presence and dress her in it.”
