Renowned fashion designer, artist and author Gönül Paksoy takes a modern approach with her one-off creations paying tribute to Ottoman wear. She stocks haute couture fashion in her shop, and on the opposite side of the street is her second shop where she offers a much more affordable ready-to-wear collection. All pieces are beautifully made and truly unique.

Blending design and art, Paksoy transforms traditional Turkish fabrics and kelim carpets into something new. She was initially inspired by the garments worn by Sufi dervishes and gradually developed a style of her own. She says: ‘When the garments or fabrics are woven or dyed and then used in new ways, they become incorporated into the realm of your creativity and you end up by creating a work of your own’.

She also designs jewellery and specialises in beads, on which she wrote a two-volume book set, Beads.

For more haute couture in unusual designs and gorgeous bridal wear, head to Artisan. Urart also stock Paksoy’s bead jewellery.