If you’ve been following our Insta-stories this week, then you must be knowing that we had the very exciting opportunity to have the incredibly talented designer, Serra Turker of Misela, take over our Insta-story for a day. We’ve been following the Istanbul-based luxury handbag brand for a while now & simply love the cultural aesthetic & heritage imbibed into each one of the vibrant designs (the ‘Serra at Pera’ has been a favourite for a few months now).
Drawing inspiration from the amazing history of Turkey, the label (now in its ninth year) has become synonymous with a vivid colour palette & striking prints and patterns (the use of hue & texture always leaves us in awe). Greatly intrigued by the personality behind the label, we asked the textile genius & design talent Serra, to give us insight into a usual day in her life.
Photo: Courtesy of Misela
08.08am
Serra: Yes, I do set up my alarm clock for this specific time, because I believe in the power of numbers. 8 means abudance and I would like to start my week in this spirit. I normally stay in my house in Pera district on Sundays, so that I can start my day very early and skip all the morning rush hour in Istanbul, since my whole world is in Pera.
08.45am
Serra: I walk to Soho House for a quick breakfast at their Allis cafe and eat oatmeal with fruits.
09.00am
Serra: I arrive at my office and my boutique, which is literally a 2 minutes walk from Soho House. I love to begin the day when no one is around. I normally work on Sunday afternoons to plan the week ahead, but if I didn’t get the opportunity to, then this quiet time is the perfect moment to note down my to-dos for the week.
Photo: Courtesy of Misela
09.30am
Serra: I call my factory manager to go over his schedule and his questions about production. I point out all the urgent models that I am expecting and beg for him to produce it for me 🙂
10.45am
Serra: My team slowly arrives at this time, as we start the day at 11am. I am so ready by now that I immediately let them know our to-dos for the week. They don’t like the fact that they are bombarded with my list before their morning coffee…
13.00pm
Serra: Our biggest dilemma of the day is to decide what to eat for lunch. We normally eat by our desks, except the days that we treat ourselves to a yummy burger (usually Fridays).
Photo: Courtesy of Misela
14.30pm
Serra: I visit our boutique after lunch and chat with the girls working at the boutique. Somedays I help them with sales too, but they prefer I don’t help them, as I often confuse the customers with the upcoming new designs.
15.30pm
Serra: Me and my assistant leave for the factory. This is the most exciting part of the day, as we can see everything in production. We go over the new models and critique the details.
18.30pm
Serra: We are back at the office for another half & hour, and go over some last minute emails.
Photo: Courtesy of Misela
19.30pm
Serra: I use the ferry to go to my home on the Asian side from my workplace. I watch the sunset behind the view of historic Istanbul and it gives me thrills, every time I see it.>
20.00pm
Serra: I have dinner and watch some series for the rest of the night. I try to stay at home on Mondays, as I am out for the rest of the week.
Photo: Courtesy of Misela
Follow Misela: @miselaistanbul
