Beautifully-crafted garments for aesthetic purposes are one thing, but clothes that spark important and impactful conversations that transcend the realm of fashion are another. Istanbul-based brand Les Benjamins doesn’t fail to tell a thoughtful story behind each and every hoodie, shirt, and pair of trousers they make. From raising funds for Turkey and Syria with Yasiin Bey AKA Mos Def and Turkish artist Anuar Khalifin and designing Turkey’s kit for the Olympics to creating a collection dedicated to migrant workers and referencing the silk road, creative director Bünyamin Aydin continues to prove himself as a storyteller through his dedication to fashion through his Fall 2023 collection.
Titled “First Wave,” the offering is a visual blueprint of what the first colony from Earth might look like in an imagined desert landscape. Although the ready-to-wear label takes an otherworldly approach, they still remain true to the brand’s pillars.
Second-skin body armor, padding, and technical military silhouettes in leather, silk, and crepe are complemented by hardware and functional tech details adorned with patches, tubes, and drawstring elements in oversized slouchy rave-style silhouettes. A melancholic color palette dominates both men’s and women’s clothing with deep shades of mahogany, swamp, and sylvan green. In contrast, abstract neons and acid washes in over-exposed pantones set a cyberpunk tone for the offering, a gentle symbol of humanistic hope set against a dystopic backdrop.
The first Middle Eastern designer to forge a link between the region and South Korea, Aydin is bridging the narrative between Middle Eastern and South Korean cultures by teaming up with Korean retail concept EMPTY and acclaimed Seoul-based photographer Cho Gi-Seok, who shot the campaign in South Korea.
“It has always been my dream to bring Les Benjamins to Seoul since the early days of the brand,” says Aydin. “Both Korean and Japanese cultures have had a major influence in my upbringing in Germany.”
