Umit Benan was enthusiastic on the first day of Milan Men’s Fashion Week, as he welcomed guests in his first, newly opened store on Via Bigli, roaming with them through the chic members’ club-like space and to the new showroom space next door. 

Without losing an ounce of his if-you-know-you-know, niche ethos, he is committed to building a sizable business out of his uber-luxe tailoring and wardrobe-building pieces exuding chic traditionalism with a flair. 

Since selling a majority stake to D Capital, the fund helmed by New Guards Group cofounder Davide De Giglio late last year, he has beefed up the team and now feels even more freedom to chart his own fashion path.

His aesthetic is very distinctive, built on his fixation for rebooting ’80s silhouettes — broad and boxy shoulders, longer jackets and pleated fluid pants — and a loose elegance which, he admitted, is largely inspired by masters such as Giorgio Armani, Gianfranco Ferré and Nino Cerruti.

Benan insisted that his fashion is no longer about narratives – as in the old days of his designs – but his clothes always manage to conjure a unique attitude and trigger the imagination.

“I don’t call myself a tailor. I have tailoring ability, sure, but I’m not a tailor. I’m a designer. It’s that mix, tailoring with style. With my suppliers, I try to work with a tailor’s mindset, but a designer’s vision,” he said in a preview a few days before. 

For spring, the Turkish designer portrayed a Biarritz-based surfer and her jet-setter fiancé.

The former character oozed confidence and a carefree attitude, best conveyed via swimwear used as the bedrock of layering, under silk robes and liquid-looking shirtdresses, or raincoats and off-the-shoulder tops that read seaside glam.

Her lover seemingly walked out of a Slim Aarons picture taken in Saint Tropez circa 1971, donning Popsicle-hued garb, with luxurious blends of linen and silk plied into loose concoctions such as strong-shouldered double-breasted blazers to be worn with silk pajama pants; rounded blousons; luxe high-tech duster coats, and denim-looking shirt jackets crafted from linen and cashmere.

“For me it’s been a shift from design to quality… I want whoever buys [a piece] to really appreciate it… You know, it’s about recognizability… Maybe it’s not their style, and that’s fine. But at least I’m recognizable for what I do,” Benan said.