PARIS — When Burç Akyol initially applied for a spot on the Paris Fashion Week women’s schedule last yr, he was turned down by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, French fashion’s governing body.

It turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the designer, who as a substitute is making his debut on the official menswear calendar this season, fresh off reaching the finals of the LVMH Prize for Young Designers along with his genderless label.

While Akyol left the ceremony empty-handed, he has gained visibility and forged precious relationships as he prepares to transition his business from a direct-to-consumer operation to a wholesale model, with plans to work with between five and 7 retailers initially for the spring 2024 season.

“My best fear was to let down our teams and the individuals who consider in us by losing the competition. I now understand it doesn’t work like that. When people consider in you, they consider in you, regardless of what, and that offers me much more energy to maintain doing what I do and to actually push what I feel in,” he told WWD.

Akyol, who was born in France of Turkish parents, discovered fashion via his father, a tailor. He gave up a budding acting profession to enroll on the École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne and launched his label in 2019, following stints at Christian Dior, Balenciaga and Esteban Cortázar.

He’s known for creations that marry sexiness with austerity: think flawless tailoring with an Oriental panache, via flowing capes and split harem pants.

Akyol’s signature metal hands bustier, inspired by Janet Jackson’s infamous cover for Rolling Stone magazine in 1993, has been modeled for editorial shoots by celebrities including Cate Blanchett and Cardi B, while Kendall Jenner, Elizabeth Debicki and Gabrielle Union have worn his designs on the red carpet.

“I launched my brand at a time when everyone was in sweatshirts and sweatpants and I used to be very scared for our career, for our know-how. I wanted something exceptional for myself and for my clients, too,” he explained. “It’s about being conscious of the role of clothing and the way it ought to be a non-disposable luxury. That’s a priority by way of sustainability, I feel.”  

He believes the “added soul” he puts into each garment transfers to the wearer. “A ravishing, well-made garment changes your posture, your mood and the best way you face the world, and might enable you change into the perfect version of yourself,” he said.

The designer, who’s represented by the Maison Pyramide showroom, believes he’ll profit from switching to the boys’s calendar, noting that it makes more sense to sell through the pre-collections season each by way of buyers’ budgets and delivery schedules.

One thing that’s not changing is his homespun runway show. He plans to unveil his third collection, titled “Palm Gardens,” in front of 150 guests within the courtyard the constructing within the eighth arrondissement of Paris where he lives and works, marking his third “at-home” presentation.

“It’s an evocation, literal and emotional, of this yr’s journey on so many levels, at times stormy,” he said of the gathering, which he teased with a brief clip of palm trees bending in a sandstorm.

To be able to get permission for the events, he has to go door-to-door to garner signatures from his 70 neighbors, transforming the show right into a community project.

“They see me working with my tiny team each day, evenings and weekends included, they usually were inquisitive about what we were doing,” he said. “We began to steadily construct a relationship, and folks would bring food or do the washing up once they saw that we didn’t have time and were pulling an all-nighter.”

When show time comes around, the entire constructing mobilizes. “Everyone stands at their window to observe. One among my neighbors is such a sweetheart that she actually serves guests Champagne after the show, and others help us to do the setup backstage,” Akyol said.

The private touch chimes with Akyol’s idea of what a fashion label ought to be. “I would like to show this brand right into a ‘maison.’ Why? Because I grew up with Dior and all these other houses that shaped my imagination of what couture is,” he said.

“I’m French, but of Turkish origin. I used to be raised with this twin heritage and twin consciousness, and it’s in my work, because my father was a tailor. I learned from him. I actually have an enormous respect for the people in our workshops. For those who have a look at the large French houses, most people working within the ateliers are Turkish,” he said.

He credits his background with forging his character and desire to make France’s somewhat antiquated couture codes his own.

“Basically, whenever you come from an immigrant community, survival instinct is super vital,” he noted. “I could be comfortable in any situation and adapt to any environment. For those who can try this, you possibly can transcend the workshop stage and change into a designer.”

Akyol feels the momentum behind the brand is growing after winning the Guest Country Award for Turkey on the Fashion Trust Arabia Prize last yr, and making it among the many final nine contenders for the LVMH Prize. He hopes to translate this into sales, a prerequisite for growing his independent brand.

“We want money, so we’d like to sell. To be able to sell, that you must fuel the dream,” said the designer, who longs to flesh out his solo operation in order that he can deal with his collections.

“I want someone to oversee production because I would like it to be flawless when it arrives in stores. I want people because I would like to grow the categories for my clients. Without delay, we’re focused on a really, very expensive portion of our offering, but that excludes some people. That’s not what I would like in any respect. I would like Burç Akyol to be available to everyone,” he said.