@Halal May/June 2021 | Page 31

Winning Turks over Indonesia seeks to enter Turkish market with ready-to-wear fashion
May-June . 2021 | Glam Halal

Fashion

31

Winning Turks over Indonesia seeks to enter Turkish market with ready-to-wear fashion

THE Turkish capital Ankara hosted a two-day hybrid fashion event introducing seven Indonesian brands to bring the Turkish and Indonesian fashion industries closer .

The fashion show presented selected Indonesian fashion brands in the heart of Turkey . It was attended by Turkey ’ s First Lady , Emine Erdoğan , who showed great interest in the various pieces created by the designers .
Apart from the First Lady , the spouses of Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu , Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop and Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank were also among the guests .
Before the exhibition , a group of musicians put on a musical performance using the traditional Indonesian instrument Angklung , which consists of a varying number of bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame .
The co-founder of Indonesian clothing brand Markamarie , Franka Soeria , also made a presentation showcasing different types of Indonesian motifs and fabric , including batik , the art of creating designs on fabric with the aid of wax .
“ This is a teaser . Soon , we are going to open a showroom for Indonesian brands ,” Soeria told the Daily Sabah .
“ What we bring is ready-to-wear brands . We want to have a hub here . The showroom will be opened in collaboration with the embassy . It will be in a location where everyone can check and see Indonesian brands .
“ We know how amazing Turkish fashion is . So , we wanted to say ‘ maybe you will like our fashion too ’.”
The Embassy of Indonesia in Ankara and Markamarie , known as the aggre- gators of modest fashion in Southeast Asia , aim to establish stronger ties between the two countries through style .
Among the seven brands that took part in the show were Elzatta , a pioneer of modest fashion brands with hundreds of stores , Wearing Klamby , a high-engagement brand with 1.6 million followers , and Medina Zein , a modest urban brand led by the famous entrepreneur with the same .
The brands created special collections to be showcased at the event , while invitees could view and buy the pieces following the show .
As the biggest fashion markets in the Muslim world , Turkey and Indonesia could provide vast opportunities for collaboration and joint ventures in design and textiles .

Halal luxury : Kayseri ’ s pastirma coated with edible gold

PASTIRMA - a savoury snack from the central Anatolian province of Kayseri - is made from cured meat , a range of delicious spices and covered in gold flakes .
While Turkish cuisine is rich in taste , texture and variety , this pastırma-maker from Kayseri has turned the city ’ s famed cured meat creation into one of Turkey ’ s most expensive foods by coating it in edible gold , Daily Sabah reported .
A kilogramme of the golden pastırma sells for US $ 98.30 at Kazancılar Bazaar .
Edible gold has been a huge food trend in recent years , even though it has been around for many centuries . Elizabethan Britons were known for using gold leaves to decorate their dishes . A Turkish chef even baked edible 24-karat gold into a pizza , making headlines in 2019 .
Pastırma is a traditional Turkish delicacy that has adorned dinner tables since Turks lived in Central Asia . It is
often nicknamed Turkish pastrami or halal bacon . Made from meat cured in salt and covered in an aromatic spice paste called “ çemen ”, pastırma is the dish Turkey ’ s Kayseri province is best known for , besides perhaps mantı . Pastırma has been the main actor in many innovative dishes lately , most notably with Turkishstyle sushi .
Tolga Korkutoğlu , the shop owner of
“ Pastırmacı Tolga ”, said the golden twist wasn ’ t his idea but the result of multiple requests from his customers over the past year .
Plating gold with gold
Pointing out that he was the first in Turkey to create and sell gold-plated pastırma , Korkutoğlu told Demirören News Agency ( DHA ): “ We ’ ve been in the business for 30 years and have been making online sales through our website these past five years .
“ We received requests for golden pastırma this last year and have been selling this ( creation ) for about six months now . The making of this pastırma isn ’ t easy either as the process takes a whole day .”
Korkutoğlu said social media , the emphasis on visuality and trends have forced them to think outside the box and
push boundaries in the culinary world .
The pastırma-maker said that many found it very strange at first , but as soon as a few people tried it , they really liked it .
Stating that most of the reactions he has received so far have been positive , Korkutoğlu said the locals tell him that he has “ plated ( culinary ) gold with gold ”, referring to the importance of the food in Kayseri and Turkish food culture .
Assuring his customers that the gold he uses is 100 per cent edible and won ’ t cause any digestive issues , Korkutoğlu said the high-quality gold leaf sheets were imported from a trusted seller abroad .
If you do get the chance to try this delicacy , don ’ t be alarmed if your toilet bowl seems to glisten more as gold is an inert metal . Meaning it won ’ t be absorbed by the digestive system .