Semi
Delareyna

01

You describe Delareyna less as a fashion brand than as a couture house and art studio. Why does that distinction matter to you?

In Delareyna's early years, I built the brand on a philosophy that was less about expressing itself than about understanding its client. For me, couture is not simply about producing clothes; it is about listening to the person in front of you, understanding their story, and being able to create a world that belongs to them. That is why I see Delareyna less as a fashion brand than as a creative space where people can feel safe.

02

You studied art in Chicago, worked at fashion weeks, then returned to İstanbul to chart your own path. What pushed you to create under your own name?

For a long time I had been dreaming of interpreting fashion and art through my own philosophy. Treating fashion as nothing more than textile and production never satisfied me. I love both the grandeur and the excess of the industry, but what truly excited me was being able to offer a meaningful service and, by genuinely understanding the person sitting across from me, to widen their boundaries.

Opening up a free and original space — creating a world where people could feel safe — was an idea I needed myself, and one I believed would do good for many people around me.

In truth, doing it this early was never part of the plan. The steps I had taken toward living in Paris came to a halt with the pandemic, and I found myself charting my own path in İstanbul. That is, in part, how the story began.

03

At different points in your career, when the logical path and the one that came from within were not the same, which did you choose?

I have always trusted my instincts deeply. I moved away from places that did not leave a good feeling in my heart, and I chose to grow by getting smaller.

To become truly good at what I do, I wanted to experience the craft itself for a long time. I did not want to grow too fast and lose my focus. I believed that, at least in the early years, one had to move slowly in order to produce work that was of quality and original.

To really understand what could and could not be done — to learn the pattern, the fabric and its limits — I had to say "no" many times. I wanted to learn enough to manage every step of the process. I also avoided taking big risks. Even when this sometimes made me feel I was missing important opportunities, I saw the brand's early years as an intense period of learning, and I never strayed from that goal.

04

How do you know when a design is truly finished?

I think this is an instinctive moment shared by many designers. The world I dream of can have many different versions, but in the end a design is mathematics.

The moment a piece meets the body, what is missing and what is excessive reveal themselves very clearly. When a design begins to tire my eye or feel like too much, I have to stop and reassess. Sometimes knowing when to let go is the most important part of that balance.

05

As everything in fashion speeds up, couture is still built on slowness, patience and handwork. What still makes couture valuable today?

Care.

Anything made with care holds its value over the long term. At today's pace it can be hard to notice, because we now judge almost everything from photographs. My aim has always been to make things feel special and considered.

I think couture is less about how something looks than about how it makes you feel. Someone who knows fabric and pattern well can immediately sense the difference a couture hem, or a hand-sewn garment, makes on the body.

For a long time I too did not understand why fully hand-sewn clothes were so different. I think the most important reason is that hand-stitching can follow the body's curves far more naturally. It is a process that demands patience, but it creates a feeling no machine can imitate exactly.

06

What do you hope a woman feels when she wears Delareyna?

I want her to feel precious. It is a sense of confidence that has nothing to do with how she looks. I want her to feel strong, at ease and special exactly as she is. An expensive feeling. :)

07

How do you strike the balance between art and wearability in your designs?

I think art is a concept that develops in the process, not in the result. Anything can be wearable when it meets the right body and the right spirit.

For me, how a person carries a piece matters more than how avant-garde it is. When someone feels good, even the simplest design can create an artistic effect. Art tells a story; I do not believe that story has to contain excess.

08

Do you think the definition of luxury is changing today? If so, what is the new luxury?

Of course it is changing, and it will keep changing.

I think the new luxury is trust.

You can buy a very beautiful piece, but it has become very hard to tell whether it is genuinely authentic. In this new era, anything unedited, unperfected and carrying human traces will become far more valuable.

I think we are entering a maximalist period — but a maximalism that is about character rather than show.

09

As a designer, what nourishes you most: people, cities, art, or solitude?

All of them, from time to time. But for me the greatest source of inspiration is feelings. Unsuppressed emotions.

You can catch it while walking through a new city, in a song, or in a conversation. Any moment that suddenly widens your boundaries and sets your imagination free excites me enormously.

10

Is there a trend everyone in fashion is talking about today that doesn't really interest you?

Trends, in general, are not really close to me. I find it hard to love things that make everyone look alike. Even if something doesn't appeal to my eye, if it makes me look twice, I respect it.

I respect everyone who uses fashion as a language. I don't have to like it, but I am curious about it.

I am, however, allergic to bad fabrics and to polyester. Let's not shop without checking the fabric label. :)

11

Where would you like to see Delareyna ten years from now?

I see Delareyna not only as a couture house, but as a creative world that lives across disciplines. Alongside couture, I imagine a space where exhibitions, performances, objects and different artistic practices come together.

I want it to be an art atelier that keeps its own rhythm, stays original and authentic, moves with its time, and is respected on an international scale.

12

If one day you left Delareyna entirely and created something else, what would you create?

I would want to create through speaking or through movement. Perhaps I would be a choreographer, perhaps a teacher. More than making an object, being able to awaken a new perspective or a new feeling in people is what truly excites me.