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ozobjects by asya ozkan- Flexıble sılhouettes, modern desıgn and transformatıon of functıonal courage ınto realıty

The “Designer” star of this edition is young and talented Asya Özkan who is the producer of hand-crafted accessories with her unique brand identity in İzmir.
Founder of the brand Öz Objects which turned into reality by the touch of joy, dreams and courage, the designer got her bachelor’s degree at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dokuz Eylül University in 2013 and later did a master’s degree in Fine Jewelry Design at Istituto Marangoni, Milan. Winning the third prize in JTR Jewelry Design in 2018, Asya Özkan added her collaborations with global brands such as Kismet by Milka, Morellato and Trussardi on her resume.

During the period when you received education on fashion and accessory design, did you think that you would become a jewelry designer in the future rather than fashion?
Actually, I received intense theoretical and technical training on shoes and bags at university. As my viewpoint expanded, my perception went to details. When we started the courses for jewelry design, I could meet the workshop and create the details by myself. Even though the kitchen of accessories gave me a bumpy ride, it was that part that satisfied me most. I had found a playground for myself and I knew that I was going to have fun.

You did a master’s degree at Istituto Marangoni Milano, one of the best universities in the branch of design. Did you create a design based on Turkish culture or history during your training?
First of all, I am glad about my education at Istituto Marangonı because it dropped me back to earth. When I was in İzmir, my graduation thesis project was titled as “Adapting The Elements of Turkish Culture to Jewelry.” I prepared a collection that combined the Turkish transition periods such as the traditions of birth, marriage and death with modern jewelry. My thesis project in which I reflected on my own culture provided an important advantage for me in receiving an acceptance from Marangoni. I could not study on Turkish culture in Marangoni since our school projects proceeded through collaborations with the brands such as Versace and Pomellato. But I can say that I benefited from my knowledge on cultures in the collections we released in line with the concepts of the brands.

During the period you lived in Italy, you released a capsule collection “Lion of Venice” with Morellato. How was this idea formed and do you think of a new collaboration with this brand in the future?
Morellato was a brand I met for a school project in Marangoni. As a result of winning a competition organized by the school, I had the chance of launching a collection with this brand. After releasing the capsule collection, I began to work as jewelry designer in Morellato Milan. At the same time, I started to design watch collections with Trussardi, the other firm of the company. When the job tended to involve more watch design, I felt that my creative space had been narrowed down. There is no plan for collaboration yet but in the future why not?
As for your own brand, “Öz Objects”. It is a newly founded brand but we can already say it has become a success. You introduced the designs of your own brand for the first time in the field of Designer Market at the Istanbul Jewellery Show. Did your brand which was just formed during the exhibition days draw attention?
Thank you so much. Öz Objects has been in progress with the same purpose since the day it started. It is my playground, rather than being a trade. It is a place where I combined art with my craft, it is my identity. For the first time, I participated in Istanbul Jewelry Shop to which I had attended for years as a designer, with my own brand. I was excited to know how those who knew me would evaluate my products and what would be the first reactions of those who did not know me. I received very nice feedbacks and flashed a smile at those who said “Let’s go into mass production” Hearing people ask “what is this?” was exactly what I wanted.

When we look at the designs of Öz Objects, we see ergonomic earcuff which is mainly hand-crafted. What is the source of inspiration for these functional, modern and tailor-made jewelry pieces?
My source of inspiration is a “body,” miraculous metamorphosis, curves, flexibility and by all means beauty of the human body. I am interested in our body which we care about in the temporary process between birth and death and try to hide. I emphasize especially the parts of women which we are accustomed to seeing implicitly. I draw circles around our body parts and playable, tight-fitting jewelry comes out.