Aslihan Bayram launches a fashion label in Goslar
Goslar-based fashion designer Aslihan Bayram has discovered a particularly creative way to upcycle—that is, reuse pre-owned items. She transforms carefully selected second-hand clothes into fashionable one-offs. With her young fashion label “Walking Pieces”, she also wants to make a difference in the fashion and business worlds.
“The fashion world still reduces people to beauty ideals and standard sizes,” the founder laments. “With my label, I want to make beauty in imperfection visible.” To do so, the 30-year-old reworks high-quality menswear. The result is blazers, suits, blouses and more for confident, strong businesswomen. Each piece is unique, designed and sewn by Aslihan Bayram in her studio in Goslar.
For now, her business is a one-woman show: everything is handled by her, from sourcing pieces at flea markets and second-hand shops to unpicking and remaking them and selling them online. “At least I have the advantage of being the only one responsible for the quality of my work,” the founder says with a wink. But she is certainly thinking about growth and will initially have her mother’s support.
Her grandmother was a seamstress, so the passion was practically woven into her from birth. During her fashion design studies, Aslihan Bayram completed a practical semester with a haute couture designer in Istanbul. She was captivated by the art of tailoring and could not let it go. She also developed a desire to bring greater sustainability to the fashion world. In her master’s thesis, she explored the topic of the “sharing economy”.
When she was put on short-time work due to the coronavirus pandemic, she explored the idea further, and “Walking Pieces” was born: distinctive, high-quality fashion that changes wardrobes after a certain period instead of being thrown away.
She presented her first pieces on Instagram and received an immediate positive response. With support from WiReGo, she acquired the necessary business knowledge, wrote a business plan, found a suitable tax adviser and founded her company on 1 May 2023. “My studies taught me everything I needed for fashion design and marketing,” says the designer. “But I owe my understanding of the numbers to WiReGo.”
It is not just her designs that are unusual. A piece of leather from a shoe might serve as an appliqué on a blazer, for instance. Her business model is different, too. Every garment is one of a kind. Only a limited number are ever available in the online shop. The release date for the next pieces is announced via newsletter and social media. “That keeps my customers curious,” explains Aslihan Bayram. “My clothes are exclusive, and my customers want to be treated that way, too.” The founder is convinced her idea will succeed. She works with Instagram influencers to help promote it. “You have the best experiences when you follow your own path,” she says with a laugh. It will be exciting to see where she and her garments go from here.
