Introduction
Serhat Işık is a German fashion designer born and raised in Herne in the Ruhr region to Turkish immigrant parents. He moved to Bielefeld at eighteen for fashion education and later settled in Berlin, where the Turkish-German culture of Wedding sharpened his interest in migrant dress, masculinity and the social meanings carried by everyday clothing. He worked in menswear at BLESS for about two years before opening an independent Berlin studio and developing an eponymous label.
In 2015 Işık completed a master’s degree in menswear design at Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee with I Don’t Have Any Weapons, a graduation collection that used kaftan forms, pinstripes and military pockets to address the treatment of Muslim identity in Europe. His solo practice included the Balıkesir collection and ended during the transition into GmbH, the label he founded with Benjamin A. Huseby in 2016.
At GmbH, Işık and Huseby have maintained joint creative authorship across menswear, womenswear and the label’s wider presentation system. Their work moved from Berlin into the Paris calendar, expanded through footwear, film and live performance, and returned to Berlin runway presentations in 2024. From May 2021 to March 2023 the pair also served as joint creative directors of Trussardi, directing three collections for the Milanese house while continuing GmbH independently.
Design ethos
Işık’s work begins with construction. Tailoring, pattern cutting and proportion give structure to garments drawn from German workwear, Turkish and wider Middle Eastern dress, sportswear and formal clothing. The recurring GmbH double-fly trouser, crossover tailoring, fitted tops and protective outerwear reflect his interest in garments whose function and social meaning remain visible after their silhouette has been altered.
Diasporic memory enters his clothing through precise objects and forms: the kaftan, the kurta, Ottoman protective garments, bomber jackets, mining references and the dressed-up aspirations of immigrant families. These references are translated into contemporary ready-to-wear through cut, hardware, fabric and styling. The result treats identity as something carried by the garment and the body in public space.
Material discipline has accompanied this approach since GmbH’s first deadstock collection. Işık’s studio practice favours close control of patterns and fabric use, especially when working with irregular quantities. Across GmbH and his Trussardi appointment, technical authority has remained central to his role, supporting a design language that moves easily from utilitarian clothing to formal tailoring and evening dress.
Disclaimer
Career history
2016
Serhat Işık became GmbH co-founder and joint creative director at the label’s foundation. His technical fashion training and tailoring practice remain central to the active two-person authorship.
2016
Serhat Işık and Benjamin A. Huseby founded GmbH in Berlin in 2016. The first year established joint authorship, the bureaucratic brand identity, deadstock-led materials and community casting.
2014
Serhat Işık established an independent Berlin fashion practice after his work at BLESS. The short-lived label developed tailoring and Turkish-German references that fed directly into his later joint practice at GmbH.
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