My first trip ever to Turkey dates back to the summer of 1995 when I attended a conference just outside the ancient city of Smyrna—now İzmir—on the Anatolian coast.
Boasting a population of 2.6 million inhabitants, İzmir is Turkey’s third largest city with a history of 3,500 years—one of the oldest settlements in the Mediterranean.
Throughout history, İzmir has been home to numerous peoples, such as the Hittites, the Greeks, the Lydians, the Persians, the Romans, the Byzantines, and the Crusaders. The Turks temporarily conquered the city in 1076 and, finally, in 1426.
Besides my brief visit to this magnificent city, I had the added opportunity of spending several days in the nearby resort town of Kuşadası, walking almost an entire day amongst the ruins of ancient Ephesus.
Now, İzmir has come to me in the way of Manzetti—a unique brand of men’s wedding wear.
In 1974, Mehmet Calık and Niyazi Sisci founded Miteksan Menswear in İzmir. Twenty years later Mehmet’s son Hüseyin Calık, along with Murat Sisci and Veli Efe, became the shareholders of the company.
Finally after 36 years, the third generation has entered the scene with Efe Calık, export manager, whom I recently met.
The designer of the Manzetti label is İlkay Ates, a Textile Engineering graduate of Afyon Kocatepe University.
Just last year, Manzetti released 80 models of formal men’s wedding wear with 300 customers in Turkey, as well as in 7 countries of Europe.
Photos & slideshow Copyright Manzetti.