Vogue Italia: Photography by Orhan Gonen

Vogue is an iconic publication known as the trendsetter in fashion and lifestyle. My first encounter with this legendary magazine dates back to my college years. I remember how excited I was every time going to the magazine store to get the latest issue. I've been finding some kind of salvation and inspiration through the pages, dreaming about a future career certainly in graphic design and trend-watching.

I've never thought of having one of my pieces to be published on Vogue one day. And that dream came true. I am working on various photography projects since 2009, starting with the Casa de la passe exhibition in London. I never call myself a photographer, but rather position myself as a visual artist. Photography is certainly an integral part of graphic design, and my perception of various things lead me to concentrate more on reflecting how I see the world around me. I first started by photographing close-up objects, then found more interest in portraits. Then came the concepting of lifestyle perspective. I used some of my pieces in various advertising campaigns I generated for my clients. Branding is principally related to visual aspects in design phase, so actually what I do has always attendantly involved photography.

Istanbul Series reflect my view of Istanbul. From Beyoglu to the Historical Peninsula, this authentic city must have been photographed by many artists from different perspectives. In this collection, I mainly focused on the illusion related to one's own perception, and used my lens in order to reflect manipulation of how I perceive Istanbul. The whole journey was like Alice in Wonderland, playing around to catch each monument, place or symbolic figure related with this city. One of the pieces from the series, "Harem" is published on Vogue Italia.

Redefining Urban Luxury

Luxury can be stated as great comfort and extravagant living. It may well be said that luxury is a basic human need – a way of winning something back against the cruelty of life. And the urge appears to have been there from the beginning. Man has aspired to better things since he first glimpsed the stars. The primitive impulses behind our desire for luxury also nudge us towards a clearer definition of this slippery word. Luxury is often associated with the realm of the senses: voluptuous images, tastes, odours and sensations. Indeed, sensuality is a key component of many luxury brands.

As Coco Chanel once said "luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it's not luxury". Berry submits the idea in another perspective and suggests that a luxury is a refinement on something that already exists. It is not superfluous, but it is substitutable. In other words, any car will get you from A to B, but driving a Bentley provides an additional sensual pleasure. That's the exact start point of my latest project, Urban Suites Istanbul.

Luxury accommodation is a rising trend in Istanbul, one of the biggest urban areas of the ancient world. From the golden ages of Greek and Macedonian era, to Roman and Ottoman period, the city has always reflected spark of the noble and wealthy. In realm of contemporary Istanbul, Urban Suites redefine the sense of luxury accommodation by combining the authentic with the current. It offers a unique Istanbul experience along with urban temptations of the Cihangir district, famous for its gourmet tastes and entertaining night life. Seven of the open-plan luxury suites feel more like loft apartments than standard hotel rooms. All suites are minimum 50 square meters and designed with various accessories and equipment for ultimate pleasure. Gatrium Brand Design team worked on developing a very well defined unique business model for the brand before design phase, and every detail is considered to reflect the ultimate sense of luxury accommodation. 

The VIP opening event will be on November 7th, hosting business executives, lifestyle magazine editors, artists and faces of high society.