SPEND A DAY WITH OUR DESIGNER: MEET ESER DAŞDEMİR
We spent the day with the creator and designer of Tox Leather, Eser Daşdemir, who stands out with her simple and chic leather accessory designs.
At her atelier, while being a part of the production we had the opportunity to get to know Eser Daşdemir and Tox Leather.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Before I got involved with leather I finished Political Sciences at Istanbul University. I was chosen for the International Young Leaders Academy with he collaboration of United Nations, CORIO, WALD, Governorship of Istanbul, Save the Children and UNCEF and completed my leadership training. I participated in a lot of programs within areas such as International Diplomacy and democracy until I came in touch with ‘leather.’ For the past 5 years I have been creating my own designs under the Tox Leather.
How did you start designing and making leather accessories?
It wasn’t an intentional choice. In fact I had no desire to be a designer. I had entirely different career plans, but for as long as I can remember, designing and creating was a hobby I did only to produce something for myself, and to clear my mind. Eventually, spending time with leather became a passion to me. There are thousands of things you can do with leather. It offers an endless area of application. ‘Tox Leather’ started when I designed and made a leather bag for myself. This first leather bag was liked and asked about by people so much that I decided to put it on sale online. The very first day, the bag was sold to Italy, which was surprising even to me. Through this process, the brand started to form itself naturally, without any pre-planning, and my hobby turned into a a full-time “job”.
Why Tox Leather?
To be honest I didn’t want to use my name just because I wanted to start my brand for the global market and didn’t want it to be difficult to pronounce. I wanted something easy to pronounce anywhere in the world and came up with Tox which doesn’t have a meaning behind it. I wanted it to only be associated to the brand and the accessories.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Mostly from my own needs and developing technology. My personal style is very simple and masculine, and I reflect this to my designs. Most of the Tox Leather designs are unisex. I try to use small accessories and keep the logo simple and not too obvious. I see to attract attention with the simplicity of the designs. Also I try to keep my designs current with including pieces like laptop and Ipad cases.
What feeds your creativity?
Observation, details from life and music of course.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Designing something is a very subjective concept; it’s a medium to confide in and at the end you use the end product to show people a meaning. Discovering what’s in nature and redesigning it is a great source of happiness to me.
Can you describe your style in 3 words?
Masculine, timeless, natural.
Who inspires you the most?
Strong women impress me the most. Collette Dinnigan, Stella McCartney, Christine Lagarde, Anna Wintour. From Turkey: Betül Mardin, Hatice Gökçe, Ruken Mızraklı…
What is your motto in life?
Don’t stress. Do your best. Forget the rest.
What are your top 5 design items from hipicon?