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The Leather Age, 8 Anatolian Civilizations Exhibition

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Inspiration
Leather on Leather
The touch, the embrace
As Love,
intimate and universal, ancient.
Always was and always will be.
“The Leather Age, 8 Anatolian Civilization” exhibition draws inspiration from the many ancient civilizations that prospered in the land known as Anatolia, an expressive effort based on leather and its texture, where the past combines with today’s manufacturing capabilities, giving life to a future promise.
Winged statues of the Urartu Civilization, Hittite hieroglyphics, Trojans on the battlefield, the Assyrian pride; signs, symbols and structures of the Lydians, Phrygians, Ionians and Arzawans, they all left recognizable traces in Hatice Gökçe’s unique leather creations.
The fascinating history of these people comes alive with the accompaniment of the first song ever written, which narrates the love story between Sumerian goddess Inanna and her spouse Dumuzi.
TURKISH LEATHER COUNCIL and “THE LEATHER AGE, 8 ANATOLIAN CIVILIZATIONS” Exhibition

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During the last three years the TURKISH LEATHER COUNCIL has been implementing a solid placement strategy in Italy and other key countries, with the goal of conveying the excellence of Turkish manufacturing, its historic quality craftsmanship and strong spirit of innovation to all major fashion audiences.
The city of Istanbul, which lies at the crossroads between East and West, attracts all kinds of cultural and historic influences, which foster the growth of extremely talented and culturally sophisticated young designers.
The TURKISH LEATHER COUNCIL is committed to show the world that besides outstanding productive capabilities, Turkey is also home to a new vibrant generation of unique designers influenced by Istanbul, the cradle of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. These qualities are enhanced by the extreme modernity of today’s Turkey. East and West, Tradition and Modernity, these are the elements that make the style of young Turkish designers absolutely unique. Among them the TURKISH LEATHER COUNCIL entrusted Hatice Gökçe with the task of creating a new powerful concept for “The Leather Age, 8 Anatolian Civilizations” exhibition, turning it into a multiform fashion experience.

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The exhibition has been presented at Palazzo Serbelloni on September 26th, as part of the official calendar of MILANO MODA DONNA FASHION WEEK sponsored by the CAMERA NAZIONALE DELLA MODA ITALIANA.
The exhibition, which originates from a thorough research carried out in the many historical archives of the Anatolian Civilization Library, brilliantly tells the powerful story of the 8 civilizations of Anatolia through 16 costumes and 12 accessories made entirely of leather.
Echoes of the 8 civilizations that lived in Anatolia traveled all the way to our era. Hatice Gökçe followed the trail of the Hittites, the Lydians and the Arzawans, the Phrygians, Ionians, Urartu, Assyrians and Trojans, creating an organic bond with the past that looks ahead to the future.

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This bond remains strong thanks to Gökçe’s admiration for leather and the fact that through it she is able to tell us the story of those civilizations in a sophisticated yet powerful and thought-provoking way. For the costumes she created, Hatice Gökçe applied specific techniques that allow using leather almost as a mirror to reflect a timeless design concept. Gökçe provides each costume and accessory with a strong charismatic personality, so that each creation can represent itself in a powerful way.
The format of “The Leather Age, 8 Anatolian Civilizations” exhibit is not restricted to the idea of runway-show-fashion, opening new spaces to design, art and new means of communications.
Gökçe combines the concepts of body and identity, giving us a historical and anthropological reading proper of these territories. The primary goal of the exhibition goes beyond the idea of “wearability”; it rises above the mere commercial preoccupations of the fashion industry. What makes the project even more powerful is the subtle “flirtation” between Hatice Gökçe and the world of design and art. After Milan, the exhibition will move on to New York.
The Turkish Leather Council Chairman Erdal Matras and prominent members of the board of directors like Burak Celet and Ruken Mizrakli attended the exhibit’s opening cocktail party as well as Turkish General Consul Hami Aksoy, Business liaison Mehmet Burak Yilmaz and President of ICE, Riccardo M. Monti.

ERDAL MATRAS, CHAIRMAN TURKISH LEATHER BRANDS & RICCARDO MONTI, PRESIDENT ITALIAN TRADE COMMISSION1