Esin Derin Aden keeps her family's fashion legacy alive with her vintage collection

Esin Derin Aden, who left her job and turned to jewelry design after working as a manager in hotels for many years, has been collecting vintage clothes and accessories for 10 years. Aden created a 70-piece collection with clothes and accessories inherited from her family, as well as pieces she collected from boutiques and markets in Istanbul. Aden carries her collection of dresses, bags, hats, shoes and silk nightgowns from the 1960s and 1980s to the future by exhibiting them in art galleries.

'VINTAGE CURIOUSNESS IS FROM OUR GENES'

Stating that his family background and growing up with fashion in his childhood were effective in his passion for vintage, Aden said, "My grandfather was a merchant tailor from Diyarbakır. He studied fashion in Paris. He worked with very famous tailors in Istanbul. Afterwards, he went to Paris and completed an important training unit on these subjects and received a diploma. He worked as a merchant tailor in Ankara for many years. Then he moved to Anıttepe. During my childhood, my mother was also a tailor who graduated from the Olgunlatma Institute. "I was always interested in these fabrics, workshops, sewing, and clothes. As a family, we love dressing up. My grandmother, my mother, and my aunts are all very stylish people, so I think my interest in fashion is related to this," he said.

'THE FAVORITE PIECE IS THE WEDDING DRESS THAT IS 60 YEARS OLD'

Stating that his 10-year-old collection is mainly shawls, hats, bags and dresses, Aden said, "In addition, we have a few pieces of silk nightgowns and 3-4 pieces of shoes. We also have a suit made from a very old fabric by a famous tailor in Istanbul-Beyoğlu. Among the valuable pieces, we have a pink sequined blouse that belonged to my grandmother in the 60s. It is a piece completely hand-knitted with crochet and sequin embroidery. It belongs to my mother's aunt." "We have a wedding dress, also from the 60s. It is completely hand-sewn and still has the stains on it. We asked the experts and art historians, and they said, 'Do not touch it, do not damage it at all.' So, we fixed the stitches and added it to our exhibition. It is the most favorite piece in our collection. Nearly half of it is from the family collection."

'WE SHOULD USE THE OLD BY TRANSFORMING'

Stating that old clothes should be protected due to their fabric and workmanship characteristics, Aden said, "I also received training on recycling. Nowadays, clothes are generally produced from nylon. We need to know the value of all of them very well, since the old cotton, woolen and cotton fabrics that we used in the past and produced in factories are no longer available. These fabrics are now very difficult to reach. Others are both unhealthy and have very strange prices. Therefore, I think that we should not be too many consumers and use old fabrics by recycling them. Fashion-wise, we have become more simplified than in the past. Over time, more daily, "The fashion evolved into casual and more sporty clothes. There was an 80s trend that started on social media. It was a nice coincidence with our exhibition. Everyone was very beautiful in that trend," he said.

'I'M THINKING OF OPENING A MUSEUM'

Stating that he is thinking of turning his collection into a museum in the future, Aden stated that he is pleased with the interest of visitors and that vintage culture has become widespread, especially among young people, and said, "I am thinking of opening a museum with my son. People generally like our collection very much, they are very happy. We receive very good reactions, saying 'You took us to nostalgia, we went back to our childhood'. Many people visit our exhibition in surprise. There was a demand for sales higher than we expected. I did not expect this much. Our young people are very fond of vintage culture and are very conscious. All those boutiques are full of students. That's why I'm sure this culture will continue to develop further," he said.