Modern Fashion Designer

Hussein Chalayan is one of the most innovative and conceptual designer of today . Originally named as Huseyin Caglayan , he is a Turkish Cypriot born in Nicosia , Cyprus on November 13 , 1970 . He was an only child but his parents separated when he was still young with his mother remaining in Cyprus while his father moved to London . After graduating in the Turk Maarif College in his hometown , he joined his father in London and went to study in the prestigious Saint Martin School of Art . Chalayan initially wanted to become an architect or

a pilot . What made him decide at the last minute to take fashion design is unknown . The eccentric streak in him was obvious in college as he was said to be frequently seen around the campus carrying plastic bag full of books on philosophy architecture , and physics . His interests was so different from typical fashion students that one professor even told him to switch to sculpture

Chalayan was almost an instant success right after his degree show in 1993 called The Tangent Flows . His collection was made of decomposed fabric which he had buried with steel filings to give it an aged look Joan Burstein , owner of the Browns , the store that launched many famous fashion designers , chose to display her entire collection at the shop window . It was his complete dedication that attracted me to his work " she said "He had that blind self-belief that 's inherent in all great designers (qtd . in Elle magazine , 2001

Chalayan presented his first solo collection in 1994 . In 1995 , he beat 100 competitors in the London fashion design award organized by Absolut Vodka . He was only 25 when he won the contest and got financial backing of 28 ,000 UK Pounds to develop creations for the British capital 's Fashion Week in October 1995 . He was twice honored with the Designer of the Year Award at the annual British fashion Awards , first was in 1998 then second one in 2000 . Aside from his own label , he also designs for TSE knitwear and Marks and Spencer shops

Chalayan became a Member of the of the British Empire (MBE ) on June 17 , 2006

Chalayan Style . Chalayan is a visionary who is not afraid to chart new fashion territory . His works are described as highly individual because unlike other designers , he avoids borrowing from fashion history . He told Elle magazine in an interview that this is because he was never a fashion magazine nerd . He takes inspiration from a wide range of disciplines like architecture , philosophy and anthropology . Chalayan 's collections through the years had launched innovations such as unrippable clothes , suits with illuminated flight path patterns armchair covers transforming into dresses , coffee tables to wooden skirt , and the latest , animatronics fashion . He made quite a sensation during his 1998 Between ' collection where he presented traditional Muslim garb with half naked models parading on the catwalk (Designer History He has a reputation of a man with serious ideas and avoided...