John Paul Ataker ready with slow fashion collection for NYFW

New York label John Paul Ataker will present its "slow fashion" collection for SS18 at the IMG Fashion Week in anticipation of the ready-to-wear brand's first US flagship store opening in October 2017 on upper Madison Avenue.

Ataker has been inspired by Turkey's Black Sea region with its deep blue waters and green fertile lands for the new collection and will debut this season's looks at Skylight Clarkson Square on Monday, September 11th, 2017 as part of IMG's New York Fashion Week.

The Black Sea has become a bearer of what the label's designer and creative director Numan Ataker has termed "slow fashion." He is calling on other parts of the world to opt for slow fashion because "it is about being purposeful and realising that fewer is better and healthier both for humankind and our planet." Ataker cautiously warns that the world is at the helm of an unreasonable and fatal grip of what is becoming a faster and faster consuming vicious cycle.

"The world's economy is in a difficult situation due to fast and cheap consumption. I have always been on the side of slow fashion. It stands for choosing what is best for both nature and human health," said the designer in Monday's press statement.

Accordingly, the materials and dyes have been picked for the SS18 collection, which aims to be as environmentally and ecologically friendly as possible with a focus on human health and wellness not only with the end products and wearer in mind, but throughout the production process as well.

This season's collection is based on the rich cultural heritage and folklore of Turkey's Black Sea region, for example the wicker quilt art of fishermen, their fishing and sailing ropes, the authentic wrung bracelets of the silversmiths of Trebizond, the vernacular knitting and weaving artisanship and ethnic Kazaz silver knot art.

These authentic and vernacular assets of the region have been incorporated into Ataker's signature gowns, dresses and separates designed for daily and formal wear. Inspired by native and traditional garments of the people, "cepken" (bolero jackets), shalwar (baggy pants), peshtemal (loincloth) and waistcoats have been modified for the collection in a range of fabrics spanning from cotton to linen, organza to jacquard and viscose finalised by hand-sewn needlework. The colour palette this season has a large emphasis on unbleached fabrics and is predominantly white, ivory and black.

The John Paul Ataker SS18 collection will also carry a grave warning: The runway show has been choreographed honouring the victims of the Chernobyl nuclear environmental disaster. "The show will close with a song by Kazim Koyuncu, a favorite musician from the Black Sea Region, who was a victim of the fatal nuclear fallout of Chernobyl meltdown in 1986; and whose consequences loom as a spectre over the fates of the region's peoples," promises the press release.

Photos: John Paul Ataker FW 2017-18 & flagshipstore via johnpaulataker.com