Turkish Fashion Label Wins Prestigious Jameel Islamic Art Prize

RUETERS
BY Freya Berry

Two of Dice Kayek's prize-winning dresses, inspired by architecture: "Dome 2" and "Hagia Sophia". Photo: courtesy of Dice Kayek Archive, Istanbul Contrast Collection

UNITED KINGDOM---The Turkish fashion label Dice Kayek on Tuesday won the Jameel prize at London's Victoria and Albert Museum, which honors contemporary art inspired by Islamic tradition. The 25,000-pound ($41,100) international prize, which is awarded every two years, has Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid as patron, and this year's judges included Thomas Heatherwick, designer of the London Olympic Cauldron. ice Kayek, a company begun by two sisters in 1992, took inspiration from the robes of Ottoman rulers and mosques to create the prize-winning structured dresses of lamé brocade and cotton. [link]