Les Benjamins fashion designer Bunyamin Aydin explains his process

I start a design by…

Choosing the right music to stimulate my mind. My favourite playlists on Spotify are LoFi Hip Hop and Mellow Beats. Lately, I’ve discovered different green teas from Japan, which help me focus and stay energised during the design phase. I do a lot of research on books, travels and draft my ideas on my iPad Pro.

The place I like to design is…

Somewhere I’m alone. I can’t design when there is too much noise, people or distractions. It’s a blessing and a curse as I have to work on multiple tasks with my production and marketing teams.

I am most inspired by…

Real people around the world, especially Eastern cultures, which really trigger my creativity. I feel like we have so much rich history that is not translated or communicated to the world on a global scale. Another major source of inspiration are fabrics; I love discovering new fabrics or new ways to use common fabrics to create new patterns and concepts. I’m also a passionate photographer and love capturing moments and getting on a deeper level with the subject I shoot. Every photograph can inspire me.

The thing I most want to achieve with design is…

To make Les Benjamins a global movement that will open more stores, hotels, incubation centres and creative studios that will allow young talent to work for us.

The style icon in my head when I design is…

Shia LaBeouf. He dresses simple, but very sophisticated. I like how effortlessly he styles his looks and it resonates well in my own style as well.

The hardest part of design is…

Choosing the final styles that will make it in the collection. Sometimes your mind creates more than is needed and it’s difficult to say no, but I guess that’s part of being a designer. I’m very OCD when it comes to design and decision-making. The challenge is to design and create something that will make people buy into your world.

My golden rule of designing menswear is…

Always start the design process with a deep research in fabrics and inspiration. I see many brands that skip this part and take the easy route. Every Les Benjamins item has a story to tell and each detail has a purpose.

The Les Benjamins FW19 collection is now available at Bloomingdale’s in The Dubai Mall.