Hands Up: Namacheko

Namacheko: Connected to craft

Dilan and Lezan Lurr, are first and foremost a brother and sister from Kirkuk, in Iraqi Kurdistan, a region bordered by Iran, Turkey, Syria … They arrived in Sweden in 2007 with their parents. Though he has cousins who remain Peshmerga (the Kurdish branch of the Iraqi military), Dilan has been living in Antwerp since 2018. Together with his  London-based sister, they created their brand, Namacheko, in 2015 the. During the Covid crisis, she stopped to focus on decoration and Dilan continued solo, noting, “even if in fashion, you’re really never alone”.

He draws, cuts, sews a little. He studied engineering, and the weight of a fabric, of a construction, is as important to him as the design. From the blue mohair Klaus cardigan to the forest green Harry vest, each collection takes a woven journey – a way, he says, to express “feelings”.  

“There are not many visual references. [The collection] is about exile, identity, confiscated memory,” he adds. For the Summer 23, presented at the Ecole Duperré, Dilan researched prominent world figures who have left their mark – from Genghis Khan to the British administration. All the clothes are named after women: Samira, Faiza, Shanaz. There are myriad tie-dyes, macramé, handmade embroidery, guipure. “They make carpets, but when it comes to clothing, their craftsmanship has totally disappeared,” says DIlan. “For me, handwork is a way to reconnect with my past and my childhood memories, when I used to go with my father to the tailoring shop.”