Atıl Kutoğlu

Atıl Kutoğlu was born in Istanbul in 1968. After finishing at a German High School, he went to Vienna to study business in 1986. During high school, he worked as an assistant in famous textile companies such as Vakko and Beymen. After graduating from the Department of Business at the University of Vienna, he prepared a fashion show to introduce his collection with the support of the Mayor of Vienna, Dr. Helmut Zilk. In 1993, Kutoğlu won the “Best Young Designer” prize in the Munich Fashion Week. In the next year, he received an award of “Best Fashion Designer in Austria” from the Woolmark and DIVA Fashion Magazine. During 1994-1996, he had many fashion shows in Dusseldorf, Milan, Paris and New York, and won high praises from European and American presses such as the New York Times, Women’s Wear Daily, Elle, and Allure. In 1996, Kutoğlu won Salzburg Prize in the Textile Symposium, which was organized in Salzburg. He prepared a scarf collection for Austrian Princess Francesca von Habsburg. In 1999, the Ottoman Collection was exhibited in the Yıldız Palace by Kutoğlu, accompanied by world famous top models on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the Ottoman Empire. Since 1999, Kutoğlu has been presenting his collections at the New York Fashion Week with a fashion show. In 2001, Kutoğlu organized his fashion show in the gala opening of the New York Fashion Week with the sponsorship of ITKIB. He prepared scarfs, neckties and T-shirts for the museum shop of the Sabancı Museum. In 2004, Kutoğlu organized a fashion show in Hofburg Palace in Vienna with the suggestion of Austrian Foreign Minister, Dr. Ursula Plassnik. In 2006, the presentation of the Atil Kutoğlu collection was the star act at the “EU-Fashion Summit” gala in Vienna´s Hofburg Palace, organized by The Austrian Ministry for Culture. During the EU-Presidency of Austria, 26 young designers were invited to Vienna to show their work.

In 2009, he opened the first “Kutoglu flagship store” in Turkey. The 170 m2 store is located in the trendy Nisantasi neighbourhood in Istanbul, and has been designed by the Italian architect Claudio Nardi with an airy but minimalist concept. In 2009 and 2010, Kutoğlu opened the newly featured “IFW – Istanbul Fashion Week” with fashion shows, sending international topmodel friends like Alek Wek, Alexandra Richards and Franziska Knuppe on his catwalk. The influence of Orient is always present in Atil Kutoğlu´s collections. His favourite materials are silk, cotton, wool and cashmere blends as well as leather. He remains faithful to his oriental roots and his designs often transport women to a mystical world.

Reference: atilkutoglu.com, modaturkiye.com, biyografi.info, msxlabs.org