Southwest Florida youth drawn to the world of fashion, and perhaps a career in the industry, have a unique opportunity to mentor with haute couture designers whose garments have represented global brands and graced high-society galas — and they don’t have to travel to Miami, New York or Milan to do it.
Fort Myers-based designers Ilkay and Rasit Turk in April announced the soft opening of The Turk & Turk Fashion Institute, a social initiative for high school-age students who may not have access to fashion education. The program offers hands-on experience, mentorship and insight into both the creative process and career paths in the industry.
The program remains in development, but Ilkay Turk said she expects to work with about 10 students at a time. Over a potential two-year period, participants will spend part of their weekends at The House of Turk & Turk, a combined residence and working studio off McGregor Boulevard. The space houses artwork, fabrics and the gowns, scarves, purses and linens the couple creates for a largely private clientele.
Turk said that she and her husband plan to build the Institute into an internationally recognized education platform that emphasizes artistic originality and innovation, responsible business practices and cultural heritage.
For Turk, originality means developing a distinct artistic voice.
“We follow the trends, but we don’t put it in our collections,” she said. “Me and my husband, what we feel, what we love, we go forward with [in] our designs.”
The brand also emphasizes social responsibility and draws from the couple’s Turkish heritage. An upcoming collection set to debut in December features patterns inspired by Iznik tiles of the Ottoman Empire.
The Turks plan to pursue partnerships with schools and organizations, including potential exchange programs with institutions, such as the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons School of Design in New York. They also are exploring fundraising efforts to support scholarships and expand access to the program.
Prospective students may eventually apply through the company’s website or be referred through community partners. Early candidates have already been identified through the Naples-based nonprofit Path2Freedom, which serves survivors of sex trafficking.
“Our goal is to open doors and show young people that there is a place for them in this industry,” the Turks said in a joint statement. “Through mentorship and meaningful support, we aim to inspire the next generation to pursue their creativity with purpose and vision.”
The program could support career paths in fashion design, merchandising and creative direction.
As a young aspiring artist growing up in Istanbul, and later as an immigrant in the U.S., Ilkay Turk is familiar with the struggle of finding a career path in the fashion industry and the benefits of a prestigious arts education.
Turk came from a wealthy family but that abruptly changed when one of the family businesses, a bakery, went bankrupt. Her mother, a seamstress, and her father, an architect and local politician, remained steadfast supporters.
“She always told us, do not give up,” Turk said. “Just focus and do whatever you like.”
One of five siblings, she worked at a textile company to help pay for her education at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, a prestigious, venerable public institution located near her childhood home. She and her husband also met at the school.
Ilkay Turk, co-founder of Turk & Turk, works in the couple’s Fort Myers studio, where students in the new Turk & Turk Fashion Institute will gain hands-on experience with fabrics, garments and the creative process.
They graduated and were married before immigrating to Dallas in the mid 1990s. He continued his education at University of North Texas while she struggled to speak English and focused on artistic endeavors.
In 1998, they founded Turk & Turk and began to build a reputation in the Dallas area. Their bespoke creations became known for representing companies such as Absolut Vodka and Porsche.
The couple moved to the Fort Myers area in 2004 where Rasit Turk had been hired by the fashion retailer Chico’s. She continued her fashion-industry work while devoting an increasing amount of time to starting a family. After he was laid off in 2018 during a companywide downsizing, they renewed their efforts to grow Turk & Turk, focusing on private clients and community engagement.
Through their institute, Turk invites up-and-coming designers to view fashion industry work as a viable artistic pursuit and career path, just as one of her teachers did at Mimar Sinan University.
Turk had early aspirations to be a painter, admiring works by Van Gogh, Renoir, Picasso and Rembrandt. At the university, the well-known painter and abstract artist Adnan Çoker inspired her to pursue a more modern style and to let her art “continue outside your canvas.” She took it ultimately as an invitation into the world of fashion and a demand for originality and innovation, both pillars of the Turk & Turk Fashion Institute.