Without any marketing or advertising campaigns, the work of Gonül Paksoy has achieved international recognition. In her showroom—which feels like an art gallery, with only a few wares on display—in the swanky shopping district of Nisantasi, she displays one-of-a-kind designs that stand out a mile from the international fashion brands. Using natural dyes and antique fabrics, she creates wearable pieces of art that become collectable items (and of course the prices reflect this). All her pieces, from exquisite hand-made shoes to full-length kaftans, are hand sewn with 100 percent silk thread. Taking inspiration from Sufi "whirling" dervishes and Ottoman designs, all her clothing and accessories, often in mulberry, magenta, and other natural tones, have a strong oriental feel. Besides her clothing and exquisitely designed jewelry, you can also pick up her award-winning cookbooks, which reveal the wide interests of this fashion doyenne who, incongruously, entered the fashion business after a background in chemical engineering.