Rifat Ozbek

Here you see the man who is partly responsible for me going to London to study fashion, Rifat Ozbek. He was born in Turkey in the 1950s and moved to London to study architecture but ended up doing fashion instead and graduated from Central st Martins in 1976. He started his own business and has been going strong ever since.

He has a style that is western but with lots of exotic and ethnic influences which I have always liked. In the picture above we see Kate Moss in the beginning of her career and that was the fashion Rifat Ozbek presented when I was in London and it was gorgeous.

When I went to Sixth Form College in Sweden I wanted to go out in the world and learn about design. I wanted to be in Paris, because Paris is fashion! But I didn't speak French. That didn't stop me from sending a letter to Jean-Paul Gaultier. He actually answered. A big thing when you are eighteen.

Then I set my sights on London and I thought it would be cool to work for Rifat Ozbek. He advised me to apply to London College of Fashion, which I did. That is why Rifat Ozbek is partly the reason why I ended up in London and I am eternally grateful to him because what an adventure I experienced.

One day in London I actually ran into him in the street, stopped him (naturally), introduced myself ... nearly jumped his bones ...

//P.