Les Benjamins makes a vibrant debut at Dubai Fashion Week

In a night that featured the Russian tailoring of Saijamin and the Moroccan kaftans of Molato, the standout show was undoubtedly from Turkish streetwear brand Les Benjamins, making its ebullient debut at Dubai Fashion Week. On Wednesday, it offered a sultry winter collection themed on the Altai Turkic ethnic group indigenous to Siberia.

Called Altai Turks/Altaicana, the co-ed show opened with a men's look combining a coffee-coloured shearling jacket and waxed denim jeans in a rich shade of weathered chocolate, which evoked the frigid climes of both Siberia and Istanbul. Followed by heavy leather flying jackets, greatcoats and fur hats, everything might be far too substantial for the Middle East, yet it was easy to spot audience members sizing up each look, already planning where to wear it, heat be damned.

Given the brand started in menswear, naturally the collection leaned towards masculine, with colours that ran through grey (for a jacquard suit and leather bomber jacket), chocolate (jacket and trousers in polished leather), tan, terracotta and dark-wash denim. These were sparingly decorated with woven trimmings and the drawn shapes of traditional Altai patterns and shamanistic hunting scenes, chariots and animals. Being a street brand, these were translated as collared shirts, graphic tees and denim jackets.

The women's looks – designed by Lamia, the wife of founder and creative director Bunyamin Aydin – were equally wintry, such as a brick-coloured shearling coat, a caped knitted top in red, long coats, and a leather jacket and capri pants trimmed with sheepskin. An asymmetric dress swept past in heavy denim, followed by a mini dress in woven brocade, covered with a winter landscape. All this was interspersed with pops of colour, such as a mint green silken skirt, a red velvet body suit, and a structured bag in marigold. The petroglyph designs were dotted throughout, used with a light hand.

Accompanied by a soundtrack of remixed Tuvan throat singing and the whoops of the receptive audience, the designers were beaming when they took their bow. Eminently wearable and designed with a sure hand, this was a tremendous addition to the official Dubai Fashion Week calendar.

From the colourful bolo necklaces to the vast furry hats, little was made for the Gulf climate, yet we wanted it all the same. If this is how Les Benjamins intends to continue, we have much to look forward to from this talented Turkish duo.