Introducing Guovarde

Guovarde is a “sustainable Anatolian non-binary high fashion” label based in Berlin/Istanbul/Los Angeles. Guovarde is a bridge between Turkey and the World. The biggest mission of the label is showing the culture, history and politics of Turkey in a very Contemporary/Innovative way. Gender does not exist in Guovarde! Many sustainable ways of creating such as upcycling, zero waste patterns or self-made Couture garments from trash makes Guovarde unique.

I am Khan, I am a Nonbinary person of color. I am a 21year-old Turkish-German newcomer designer and multidisciplinary artist based in Berlin/Istanbul. I identify myself as an ambassador of Central Anatolia! My mission is to show that fashion can be Turkish, POC, Religious, Intense, Art, Islamic, Traditional or Political. As a creator, I always integrate politics and social crisis themes into my art and fashion.

This collection was selected for an exhibition “How to Dior, Dior und seine Nachfolger:innen” and will be to the public as one of the noteworthy talents from the 16.12.2021 until 20.03.2022 at Kunstgewerbemuseum.

“I had reached a point in life where I just couldn’t fight anymore, I really just wanted to mourn, I really just wanted to cry. -Khan. My BA graduation collection is inspired by the Mourning culture from Mardin(Turkey). People in Mardin and Anatolia, where I actually come from, reflect their mourning into art, tattoos, and furniture.

This Couture collection is a homage to all the people we have lost in the past years’ trough genocides, revolutionary movements and Covid-19. I started collecting old rugs, laces, headscarves, furniture, fabrics from Mardin and upcycled all of these materials with hard crafted patterns into high-end Couture pieces.”

Photography by Yuko Kotetsu / Instagram: @yukokotetsu
Styling by Khan / Instagram: @khantgt
Styling assistance by Cansu Turgut / Instagram: @c.ttgt
Make up by MelisaTasev / Instagram: @mel1s1
Videography by Bastian G. Godoy / Instagram: @bast_digital
Music by Alexis Thelen / Instagram: @ccccccccccccccoco2020
Models are
Fatou from Almaz Agency / Instagram: @am.ndure @almaz_agency
Jaleel Eugene Ngangoué from Coreartistmanagement / Instagram: @jaleel_eugene_ngoue @coreartistmanagement
Kurosch Mehrabizadeh-Honarmand / Instagram: @kuli2000
Abdulmomen Al-Eryani / Instagram: @lefagdusiecle