Interview with DreamON DESIGNER ÇAĞNUR “Key-C” KARUSERCI (Interview by Luigi A. Bertorelli, International Italian Fashion Expert)

A nice figure, big and dark eyes, a fresh and natural face. He looks like a college student. Although she looks like any other young lady at 23, she has a résumé to be respected. He is a young figure who graduated from Italy's most prestigious fashion design school, has spoken at business and enterprise conferences, has written articles for newspapers and is the editor of his own magazine.

Çağnur “Key-C” Karuserci has made rapid progress as a designer in a few years. Many brides in Turkey, Italy, Europe and many overseas countries proudly wore special wedding dresses designed by Çağnur “Key-C” Karuserci. Numerous boutiques proudly presented wedding dresses designed by Çağnur “Key-C” Karuserci in their showcases to draw the attention of the walking people to their boutiques. I am here to do this interview with Çağnur “Key-C” Karuserci. He welcomed me at the head office of DreamON Gelinlik in his office.

In his small office; Çağnur, who seems to hide behind her desk, where there are pens, magazines, drawings, color charts, sketches, pieces of fabric, catalogues, drawing pens and objects that are not well understood. On the back bookcase, next to Çağnur's father's law degree, there is a full certificate. Dozens of plaques, trophies and awards related to sports and university degrees of his brothers Onur and Özgür (both Vice Presidents of DreamON Bridals)… Çağnur's mother and mentor. These ragged awards are actually a symbol of the efficiency and professionalism of this very close family.

“No time to edit!” he sighed as he caught the surprise in my eyes. says. I'm sure you're talking inside.

“Here we are,” I say as I put my notebook on my knee. How would you like me to address you?

My name is Çağnur, but it's hard to say for non-Turkish speakers. My foreign friends abroad used to call me "Key-C" because they couldn't say it. You can say like that too.

OK. I'll call it Key-C. You mentioned your friends abroad; Are you talking about your friends in Milan or London at the prestigious Marangoni Fashion school?

It's not really them. Since I was a child, I used to visit fashion fairs abroad with my mother. Dubai, Paris, Milan, Cairo, Essen, London, Damascus, Dusseldorf and many other places that I cannot count.

As most people mention, you are seen as the rising star of fashion design.

I don't think I'm a star and when I won't be. This is a description that fits more actresses or singers. I see myself as a professional who has a good sense of style that pleases most people as a job.

Do you owe your success to graduating from Marangoni Fashion School?

The Italian Marangoni Fashion School is actually only where a long road leads to a conclusion.

I have a lot of time, I would like to listen.

In fact, I can say that I grew up with milk and a wedding dress. Going back a bit, in 1974, my father and mother made small investments and entered the wedding dress business with a small workshop and store in Gaziantep. This small store still stands in the same place, but the products sold are different. Ms. Serpil (my mother) has her own unique and very special intuitions about fashion. I can say they have magic in their hands. The wedding dresses she made were incredibly successful and the upper part of Gaziantep preferred her wedding gowns for their weddings. It still is.

Then we can say that Serpil Hanım is your first teacher?

Definitely. I guess it matters as much as how hard you work in life, what kind of family you were born in. Family is a structure that shapes one's personality since childhood and also affects one's career. When I finished high school, I realized that I could follow in my mother's footsteps. I was sure that I could achieve his goals and achievements, even if it was full of difficulties. When I was a kid, my mom always said: “Whatever you choose, you always have to be the best”. This was the reason why I made the decision to go to the Italian Marangoni High School of Fashion.

I see the name Serpil on the certificates of appreciation, plaques and honorary awards standing in the background.

My mother had the power and capacity to turn a small boutique store into a large industry. This success was crowned with a very prestigious award a few months ago. My mother (Serpil Karuserci) was awarded the 2011 Turkish Women Entrepreneur of the Year award. This is actually an appreciation of the excellence that has been established in the bridal field for thirty-seven years.

You be proud.

I am proud of my father and brothers. Our new head office and distribution center is opening in Gaziantep. It has become the largest in Turkey (a building of seven floors and 3000 square meters). Another dream my mom made come true.

Now it's time to switch the spotlights back to Key-C. You graduated from Marangoni Fashion School in Milan (Italy). And as an “Honour” student, you graduated with the highest grades.

His early years were spent with continued intensive study in London, then in Italy, but it was also an exciting professional experience. It was my job to work hard to be the best. If you want to be the best, you have to do more than others. I did that too. Then I make designs for DreamON; I work hard to bring together the special sewing character and spirit, which includes the latest fashion lines, under the same concept and to preserve it while creating (creating).

Protect while you create. I guess this will be the main idea of the new collection?

Ditto. I am currently concentrating on creating two new collections. “DreamON Premium” and “DreamON Selection” will be presented in the same way at the IF Wedding Dress Fashion Fair (Izmir February 2013) and in our newly opened Istanbul, Ankara and Gaziantep Showrooms.

In the meantime, you find ideas and time to prepare DreamON Magazine. Isn't it a bit strange that making fashion designs and editing a magazine go together?

It's not strange. In our meetings with my family, we create an advertising budget for the promotion of our own products. I think it's a great investment just to show you pictures of some of our wedding dresses where our ideas, innovations and why not dreams cannot be told. Thus, it emerged that we needed a tool to explain them. The answer lay before us: our own magazine. And here we are.

The word “dream” (dream) was the most repeated word in this conversation, including your brand name: DreamON. Everyone has a dream.

Can you tell me about your dream or at least one of your dreams?

I can say that I can be closer to the girls who want to wear wedding dresses designed by "Key-C". By personally visiting our own stores in Gaziantep, Ankara and Istanbul on certain days of each month, the bride-to-be will feel special on the most memorable and happiest days of their lives, I dream of taking the time to design bridal gowns that will fit the contours of the wedding dress.