Getting to Know: Fine Selection
Irem and Yetki are the partners behind Fine Selection, a stall of consciously produced garments, which also provides alterations. After the pair met in Melbourne through a mutual friend they realised, as serendipity would have it, that they are from the same town and that their mothers live only a street apart in the sea-port city of Izmir, Turkey.
Irem is highly skilled in design, from concept to construction, and every process in between. She holds a Bachelor of Fashion Design and has spent years designing for global houses such as Zara. The experience of large fashion companies motivated her to do things differently. She saw that the bigger the brand, the messier their methods and the less they could maintain oversight over manufacturing conditions. Large retail brands can attain certifications which suggest sustainable and ethical practice, but the reality is that they cannot cultivate the same intimate awareness of people they serve, the materials they use, or the procedures they apply.
When Irem arrived as an asylum seeker, she got involved with The Social Studio, a not-for-profit enterprise that supports migrants and refugees by creating and manufacturing for the community. Today, Fine Selection embodies a similar socially and environmentally conscious model, and has sustained a relationship with The Social Studio for manufacturing.
Everything in the stall has been created on a small scale, with personal identities and stories attached to the garments. One such example is the story socks that they sell. The socks are hand knitted with bright, culturally significant motifs which have been used to communicate among Turkish villages for hundreds of years. On the wall is a photo of Yetki and Irem’s mothers seated together, with knitting work on their laps - they construct many of the impressive woven pieces, thread by thread, from their living rooms. Other garments include those which are made entirely by a family of seven. They make the fabric, construct the print blocks, complete the printing, and do all of the needlework. Irem takes a principled approach to all of the items they stock. Where is it made? What is the material?
These questions are at the forefront. Items are made predominantly from natural materials such as bamboo, linen, cotton and wool. Entwined with the stall’s social approach, is care for the natural environment. Irem prioritises visibility of working conditions and methods. One benefit of this, is that it enables her to minimise waste. She shows us a durable corduroy bag cut from a pattern without any excess, face cleansing pads made out of leftover fabric, and small items designed in response to surplus threads. Currently the stall is selling a collection of super-soft bamboo cozy wear that comes in natural earthy hues. Irem explains that most of these were dyed with vegetable dyes in her home kitchen. She collects remnant onion skins from fresh produce traders at the Market to achieve the golden shade and has plans to experiment further with new shades of biodegradable dyes.
The alterations side of the business is a natural extension of Fine Selection’s conscious creativity. Even before they had expanded to include this service, repairs were made for customers whenever there was an opportunity to extend or expand the life of an item. The process of renewal is viewed as a creative act - Irem enjoys solving the challenges presented by worn clothing - repairing rips, fixing zips and extending the use of items in novel ways. Irem will look at anything that may need repair or adjustment, and is willing to discuss options with you, in support of what she sees as an ethical endeavour.
Before the Market, Irem mostly worked alone in an office environment. Her introversion has since evolved through the daily conversations that are commonplace to the Market. Apparently Yetki is more social by nature, but they have both grown into the home of their new business in positive ways, complimenting the Market with their combination of know-how.
You can find Fine Selection in Stall 132 in East Aisle, open every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8am.