A collection of experiences, random inspiration and color: that is what you will see translated to the handmade prints on Lar Studio scarfs, pareos and accessories. Created by the New York born graphic designer Laris Alara Kilimci, the Istanbul based brand has an interesting beginning.

That is because Lar is the living proof that life never goes as planned - and that is a good thing. “I wanted to follow a career in production of video clips”, tells the owner behind absolutely everything produced at Lar. By everything, I mean everything: logo, website, design, social media, orders, production and so on.

Growing up in an already artistic family, she is a daughter of a generational rug trader and a pottery artisan and saw art mixed with business from day one. Half American and Half Turkish, raised in a Villa outside of the chaotic center of Istanbul, she saw herself creating her own bubble in childhood. “I always liked to collect stuff, so my mind always had a lot going on. It was like a process of curating stuff, from CDs to souvenirs”, affirms.

In love with animation and surrealism from the decade of 30’s, one a very much Michel Gondry vibe, Laris started drawing in high school and chose to follow this path as a career, so she left Istanbul and went to inspire herself now in another chaotic city: London. There is where she graduated in Graphic Design from the University of the Arts London, Central Saint Martin.

Though her British years brought her a lot of nice experiences, she came back to Istanbul but didn’t feel belonging here. “I thought that was the moment to explore, so I jumped on a plane and went back to New York to try my career.” During her time in America, she literally knocked on studio doors offering her portfolio and asking for an opportunity to start.

“Constantly the answer I got was positive, but not really. It was always ‘look, you built a very specific style already and it doesn’t fit us’. It was so frustrating, but somehow made me trust my instincts. In a way they were saying that my voice is my curse. It is distinct and unique, so I should do my own thing.”

The designer decided to come back to Istanbul, frustrated on not knowing what to do now. She worked as an intern in several studios, tried to work on animation and even tried to follow her family’s path. On one of the many experiences, she designed for a fashion local brand, her last frustration step. “I was told I was doing what I wanted and not what was asked. That is when I decided to just do what I see fit for myself”, she tells.

“When I came back from my time in both London and New York I realized Istanbul is so chaotic, but it lacks color. In a way it’s beautiful with its own rustic aesthetic, but has too much grey and beige. That is not what I wanted for my life, so I created my own colorful aesthetic for life.”

Looking to express so much of herself on one object or piece, she researched through her own story and remembered how her grandmother had her own scarfs. “I realized it is such a chic piece, it isn’t just apparel and you have space to add so much information on small details. For me it’s not just beautiful, but it also tells a lot.”

At the beginning it would be her starting piece, but organically Lar grew to have its identity told mostly on scarfs and pareos. Everything starts on paper: Laris crops and draws everything first, set all together by hand to only later transform it graphically into a print.

Passionate about Brazilian music and culture, the name Lar comes from shortening her name, but also means “home” in Portuguese. The designer later found out about the meaning and how it also fits her own reality - the idea of bringing through her brand a home feeling to herself.

The first collection was released in April 2017, and since then every month of April the year collection is released. This year the main theme was inspired by the psychedelic aesthetic from the 80’s, the colors green and magenta and plants. The combo of it all brings the collection PLANTS ARE ELECTRIC to life.

For this new line Lar is exploring another territory and releasing also the puffy bags with the main print of the season: ACID PRINT. Made in 3 different colors, the bags are 100% produced by recycled polyester.

For the forsake future we can expect collabs with WWF, Mehtap Elaidi, Sabah the Dealer. “All will be released very soon”, she informs.

All the Lar products can be found on their website. Though they do have a Studio, it is currently closed due to the Covid restrictions. If you would like to see the products in person, you can visit one of the many stockists in Turkey, UK, US, Switzerland and Japan. You can also find Lar on Instagram.