Zeynep Arçay

Arçay is a Turkish designer who made a dramatic career change from a long career as a top technology industry executive to launch her namesake designer clothing brand in 2016 in Istanbul. The decision was deeply personal, born from the sudden loss of her mother, who instilled in her the conviction that there might not be a tomorrow, pushing her to finally pursue her lifelong dream of fashion design. The brand is named after her maternal grandmother, a strong and creative woman from Crete Island who had never allowed her name to be passed to any grandchild until Zeynep was born. Designed in her Istanbul atelier, the collection features clean, minimalistic silhouettes rooted in tailoring through paper-thin leather, silk, and wool, and has gained a celebrity following including Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, and Jessica Biel, with stockists including Net-a-Porter, Harrods, Saks Fifth Avenue, and The Webster.