BOLD x Esra Gülmen

Sweatshirt Collection, 2019


‘'Oh, but you don't look Turkish!'' - That's the reaction I usually get when I tell people where I'm from.

At first I thought it might be a compliment, but over time I started thinking: Wait a minute, how am I supposed to look if I come from Turkey? Or if I am German?

A couple of months ago, I saw a meme on that topic: ''They say I don't look Turkish. Should I look like a Döner or what?''

Maybe I couldn't convey something that funny, but I wanted to communicate it in my own way, about all these stereoypes. So, I collaborated with BOLD Berlin and created a collection that asks a question upfront in hopes of starting a new conversation and spread the message to the streets: ''Don't I look Turkish?''

In doing so, we wanted to draw attention to discrimination and prejudices and we knew a lot of German friends face the same issue, and we created something for them as well, and this time they can ask : ''Don't I look German?''

We released these hoodies during my show and I cannot imagine a better city than Berlin to release them. A city that embraces everyone and every way of expressing themselves. However they look like, wherever they’re from.