Illustrating Ilkay and Rasit Turk’s vision for their namesake brand, Turk and Turk Miami.
Director and Photographer: Tamara Boxx for LUXYMOM® | Photographer: Tim Gibbons | 1st Camera Assistant: Ursula Gibbons Model: Monique Evans | Wardrobe: Turk and Turk Miami
The morning light filtered through fluffy, dark clouds. The air was damp and heavy – a storm had just passed through, and the looming clouds threatened to cancel our shoot with the illustrious fashion designer duo, Ilkay and Rasit Turk of Turk and Turk Miami. This shoot promised beautiful handed painted fabrics, sparkling cuffs, and a huge parachute dress that expanded wide like Eagles’ wings – the show MUST, and would, go on.
Ilkay and Rasit are one in the same when it comes to art. They are both unapologetically dedicated to perfection and creating beautiful products that make the soul sing.
The unique quality about their work is that it is transformative. To take one item and apply it to a design, creating a whole new purpose for it, is a staple for these two dynamos. When you photograph one of their pieces, the attention to detail in the stitching, fabrication, and design is almost architectural in how it lines up – especially in photos.
This has been a life-long idea that they both collectively shared – from their days as design students in Istanbul all the way to the present – which is why their name is synonymous with breathtaking design and craftsmanship.
Indeed, clouds and rain would not deter them from the shoot – they only made it better.
We arrived at the beautiful Baker Park, a secluded and inviting location in Naples, Florida, and surveyed the lawns and prospective locations to find that they were completely soaked. We would all have to step out of the box.
We had our model slip on a beautiful Kimono that Ilkay had created, based on a painting Rasit completed, called Queen of My Heart. How fitting that the model, Monique Evans, was a beauty queen herself. The material fell over her body like a waterfall – perfect.
We placed her strategically amongst tall grass, and we were instantly transported to another world. A world where she moved like a crane dancing on water, with the design adding edgy and bold colors.
The sleeves waved gently in the breeze as Monique moved slowly, showing every beautiful fold that Ilkay had designed while still showing the intricate reflection of the painting her husband had created.
Again, they are mirror images – taking inspiration from one and applying it to a project from the other. A dance and seamless transition of two ultra-creatives.
Next, we climbed to the summit of a huge hill and stared down at the drenched landscape below us. The wind was beginning to pick up and blow relentlessly – it was time for The Parachute Dress by Turk and Turk.
A showstopper and total reinvention of a parachute from the 1960’s, Ilkay and Rasit created this artistic gown in 2003, and it has been wowing crowds ever since. Most recently, the gown was featured at Naples Art Scene to be Seen and was center stage for viewers to witness this magical piece, along with other original designs, such as an evening gown created from 276 yards of piping cord, crafted without a single stitch.
Monique then began to shift the material as Rasit and our trusted friend and camera assistant Ursula Gibbons, lifted the train. And all of a sudden, it was like she was flying.
The wind caught the material in the back, and a huge, orange bubble began to grow and grow as the parachute material expanded – remembering its true origins – flight.
Monique shifted the white, green, and orange layers, creating a whirlwind effect that was too stunning not to stop and appreciate. It is one thing to see a dress on a model inside, but when you add movement – you lose yourself in the feeling and almost paint stroke-like vision it evokes. People began to gather and witness the glorious majesty that The Parachute Dress created; it was living color.
The sky was decidedly dark at this point, and the lighting was so soft and gentle that we decided to shift to the romantic side of Turk and Turk. Enter – Turk and Turk’s newest collection for Spring 2021: the hand painted silk twilly scarf; the Turk and Turk logo wrist buckle; and finally, a beautiful Turk and Turk Swarovski bangle. Each piece is so delicate and feminine that you feel like you are the most beautiful woman in the world wearing these products.
Monique sat on a rock with waves of green grass behind her moving like a turbulent ocean in the wind. Ilkay and Rasit placed the Turk and Turk Valentine Twilly on her wrist, accented by the wrist buckle, which gave the look a whole different dimension.
The two pieces became one as Monique’s delicate hands moved and floated in the breeze and as the light sparkled off the buckle – which proudly made the Turk and Turk logo front and center in the shot.
The bangle bracelet is a soloist, as the delicate item is perfect on its own. Standing out on the wrist, this little accessory’s Swarovski crystals twinkle with ever so small adjustment.
The crystals are arranged to form the Turk and Turk logo, allowing viewers to intuitively know who created this stunning bracelet. It worked beautifully with our tulle skirt and windswept look, transporting you directly into a Johanna Novel – timeless.
With over thirty years of experience, countless exhibitions showcasing original work that garnered coverage in design publications distributed across continents, and a never-ending love for creativity – Ilkay and Rasit will continue to create one of a kind pieces that bring their clients and lovers of art joy until they physically cannot pick up a brush. Even then, I’m sure they will find their way back to their first obsession.
A testament to this dedication and daily renewal of love for their art sits in Ilkay’s design studio amongst her sketches, samples, and material – a simple cut-out of an article quoting Carol Burnett: “When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go.”