BİRİCİK TASARIMLARIYLA PS ONE

We highly value your time dedicated to us, as we’re just catching you before making your trip to London, for the sales campaign at IJL LONDON OLYMPIA. Tell us, how did it all start with PS ONE?

Thank you for your appreciation. I personally believe that life brings you all you truly wish and unconditionally desire. Following my BA degree in Business Administration from Bosphorus University, I have gained experience in many different sectors such as banking, finance, marketing and consultancy for almost 10 years. At the age of 30 I had a serious health problem which  made me question my life and directed me to go where my heart leads me. I had this great desire to start up my own business in interior design. After designing furniture and working for interior design and decoration projects for more than ten years with great enthusiasm, I had a baby as the most meaningful surprise of my entire life which made me fully engaged in motherhood with a great desire. Adopting a one-week old baby as a single mother made the most radical change in my entire life compared to all other challenging experiences. I can say that I have dedicated myself to him until he started kindergarten. As a design and manufacturing enthusiast, I knew my dedication would be to continue with it. I had great curiosity for jewellery making and followed all the necessary routes that took me there; many metalsmith trainings and workshops. Meeting craftsmen with great talents led me finally to start up my own workshop in the amazing Grand Bazaar area that gives access to all possible materials, tools and craftsman you need. Having supportive comments of my friends and their desire to own my creations motivated me to pursue this path.

You’ve gained a rapid awareness across Turkey, Europe and US, did you expect this rapid growth when you first launched your jewelry? 

Even though my family thinks that I am a born entrepreneur who can take significant risks, I do not jump into cold water impulsively if I do not feel it is the right step to take. I always believed in myself in a rational way. I can say that I am a disciplined, hardworking and organized person when it comes to my work. I have experienced the excitement about what I do since the very first day and I think I reflect this into my designs. Jewellery is an element that requires to be well-thought and meticulously manufactured. I have carefully built up my brand while blending all these attributes necessary for success. I have a loyal customer profile in Turkey as well as abroad. If I look from these perspectives, yes, I can say I have put my heart as well as lots of effort and continued with perseverance for this sound and consistent growth.

The design of each piece is very distinctive, belonging to a specific family in your collection, with fascinating names, can you give us a deeper insight?

Our current collections are ‘’Wonders of Nature”, “Happy Spirit”, “Up in the Sky”, “Starry Night”, “Ethnic Beauty”, and “3 Musketeers”, and of course ‘’ONE’’ collection with designs made as one and only. My most powerful muse is nature itself. If you explore nature not only with your eyes but also with your heart, you can find great source of inspiration: birds, leaves, clouds, stars, the moon, the sun, people, children, animals, last but not least and most importantly women are translated in my mind into jewellery. Feminine power and curves, the sense of motherhood, heroes in history, literature, theology, and art objects can also boost my imagination for designing unique, elegant and poetic collections. During my worldwide travelling, I took the opportunity to visit almost all art and history museums, wonder around old cities and discover artistic details with great joy. I created a life of my own with the interpretation of what I have seen with my heart leading me to create my designs for PS ONE.

What’s selling most, and is there a big gap in taste between the customers from the various continents?

Each collection has its own characteristics. They all appeal to a different soul. The number of tastes equals to the number of women in the world. I am pleased to see stylish, dynamic, bold women with a youthful spirit wear PS ONE designs. I do not limit myself when designing. Sure, there is such a thing like your own style and taste but my goal is to make each woman feel unique. The brand PS ONE itself is meant to reflect this uniqueness.

Some prefers wearing elegant, delicate and playful designs, some antique looking jewellery and some big, sumptuous, eye-catching and flamboyant pieces. This choice mostly depends on the unique soul of the woman with no specific gap between continents as far as I could observe. We kindly treat each one as ‘’One and Only’’…as the brands’ motto.

Our customer profile is highly sophisticated with outstanding taste and style.

You are also a mother to an eleven year old boy, how do you cope with your time?

As a parent to my eleven-year-old boy, I know firsthand that turning eleven is a period of considerable change. He is no longer a young child and he is not quite a teenager yet, but a boy who is venturing into his own life and seeking his own independence. Every day brings new growth, new milestones, and new wonderment. My son is a very mature pre-teen who understands and accepts that I have to combine motherhood and work. Since I am a working mom and he is going to school, the moments we share together are especially precious. We do not worry about how many minutes we spend together each day. We rather focus on turning these minutes into memorable and meaningful moments. For instance on weekends we spend time in nature or have breakfast with other family members. In the evening we read, talk and have fun together until it’s time for him to go to bed. Some afternoons, when he is finished with homework, we go to watch a movie since we are both great fans of cinema or we go out to dinner in a restaurant of his choice. During the day we stay connected when he has breaks.

Does he give you any design inspiration?

A child is the ultimate and most beautiful creation of feminine power. Having a child is one of the most miraculous experiences I have ever witnessed as a woman. My son introduces me to the wonders of his world with his imagination. Seeing him discover his special talents reminds me of my own passions. Having a young kid makes you stay young at heart as well. His creativity and eternal optimism leave me with new ideas how to tackle my next design concepts. Imitating his ability to look on the bright side expands my potentials to brainstorm new interpretations of nature I observe around myself. All of these make me more aware how to reflect my inspirations into jewellery, how to become overall more successful in reaching women, making them feel special, reminding them of their own uniqueness and feminine power. My son with his unique being; innocence, smell, touch, sound and senses makes me deeply believe that every human being is ultimately one and only. This actually led me to the brand name: ‘’PS ONE’.

What’s your favorite gems?

I find diamonds in different cuts and colors combined with rose gold and black rhodium finishes is glamorous, dazzling and truly elegant . The use of rose cut cognac diamonds and sapphires is meant to create my most favorite antique look in jewellery making.

Any design regrets?

At the beginning of our creation process for any collection there may be some revisions until achieving the final and targeted aesthetics and ergonomics I have in mind. I can say that I haven’t had any significant design regrets up to date and at the end of this long design journey hopefully will not have any in the future.

In five years from now, what’s your vision of PS ONE?

After opening the first PS ONE boutique in 2012, we started to showcase our designs in selected concept stores in Turkey. The new flagship store of PS ONE has been in Akmerkez, a high-end shopping mall, since 2016.Apart from opening our own new stores in Turkey, we envision to expand our footprint in high-end designer boutiques and department stores worldwide. We hope to continue to pride ourselves with constant and cutting-edge innovative designs and are confident that we will reach women all over the world in the coming years.

We are extremely motivated to be among the best and most sought brands in this highly competitive sector. Our strength comes from creative experimentation in design process and our aim to combine artistic craft with technical evolution.  Our emphasis will remain on innovative luxury through creation of spirited and timeless jewellery. In this journey the feeling of ‘Oneness’ and ‘Unique Beauty’ will always stay essential for PS ONE.

LIFESTYLE interview with PINAR SÖYLEMEZ