Designer Erdem Akan

Erdem Akan, an energetic representative of Turkish design, creates a fusion between contrasts such as “East and West”, “new and old” and reflects both his Istanbul identity and the design education he received in England in his projects. “I have always admired the purity of Scandinavian design,” Akan says, adding the following when talking about the cities that inspire him: “In Istanbul, for example, nothing is uniform; not even the streets. So you can see both of these elements in my designs”. Akan, who has been designing for the Nude collection since its inception, has chosen to reflect both her own needs and the brand's emphasis on “simplicity” in her work, such as the bedside jug named Mr. & Mrs. The idea of designing this jug with cute human faces on it came to Erdem Akan's mind when he realized that there was no such glassware in his room. Similarly, the Blossom jewelry box in the shape of a small tree growing in a glass lantern was designed with his jazz artist wife in mind. “These are designs for modern life,” Erdem says: “I am neither nostalgic nor futuristic. I am interested in the present”.