Meet the Turkish Designer With a Taste for Red Lipstick, Black Sabbath, and Queen Elizabeth I

Sunday may be for the God-fearing, but Monday is for the fashion-faithful. That's when Dilara Findikoglu—along with all those drawn to the hypnotic, fantastical world she creates through her self-titled label—will head into a Catholic church in London for her spring show. For the first time, after two smaller presentations, the Turkish designer is sending her clothes down the runway (in this case, a checkerboard stone floor), with a cast that includes the drag artist Violet Chachki and the rapper Brooke Candy. Don't expect any preaching to the choir. Set to a soundtrack that blends boom metal, '80s dark wave, and traditional belly-dancing music, her collection might well be accompanied by face tattoos, extreme piercings, or Goth-meets-Victorian makeup. "Each season I have distinct characters, so every look is different on its own," Findikoglu says, explaining that her backstage collaborators—hairstylist Cyndia Harvey and makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench—are in sync with her bricolage of far-flung inspirations: Black Sabbath, Alejandro Jodorowksy, Victoriana. "I have a lot of historical references," says the designer, who cut her teeth interning for the ever-theatrical John Galliano. "But you've got to use it in your own way."

Findikoglu established herself at the outset as something of an iconoclast. Two years ago at Central Saint Martins, she broke rank, staging a guerilla presentation for students whose thesis collections didn't make it into the official press show. Since then, rebel muses like Rihanna, Grimes, FKA twigs, and Adwoa Aboah have worn her designs—labors of obsession embellished with such details as tattoo imagery, Ottoman embroidery, or patches advertising favorite metal bands, which she discovered as a girl growing up in Istanbul. "I was trying to explore new things constantly," Findikoglu recalls of her deep Internet dives, which stoked interests beyond the comprehension of her Muslim parents. "I’m into parapsychology and all the occult and magic stuff, so when I was reading those books, they thought I was going to be a Satanist," she adds with a laugh. She is not one for doctrine, pagan or otherwise—"I don't like how religion divides people into groups," she says—but the dark world suits her self-styling. Jet-black blunt fringe offsets her milky complexion, which serves as the perfect canvas for a blood-red lip. "Vampire finally melting under the sun," she quipped in a recent sunglass-shaded selfie while on holiday in Turkey.

Now, back in the London groove, the designer is ready to come into her light. Here, Findikoglu talks about her never-fail matte lipstick, the psychological boost a manicure can bring, and the powerful women—past and present—who paved a nontraditional way forward.

With your show in mere days, how are you managing to stay calm?
I am learning to deal with the stress. I think every season it gets easier, although we have 21 looks this time, which is more than I’ve done before. To be honest, I really don’t leave the studio for the whole day. I find it more relaxing to just try to calm myself down while I’m doing the work. I really love what I’m doing. I mean, if I work till 3 A.M., I can wake up at 7 [A.M.] and come here and just keep designing or creating new stuff.

Music probably helps get you through it. What role does it play in your creative process?
Music is a big inspiration. It can be '80s pop, but it's metal mostly. I like exploring new subcultures and looking at what they wear because it seems really real—rather than looking at the girl [who is] a style icon. Most of my instinct comes from what I like and who I am. My work is mostly the things that are in me and I’m exploring. I use a lot of religious iconography—or occult symbols, magic symbols—even if I don’t believe in them.

Have you had your haircut with blunt bangs for a while? You've joked about a "rare photo of your forehead."
Oh my god, yes. I’ve had my bangs for so long—probably since middle school. I wasn’t comfortable with my forehead, and still I don’t let anyone see my forehead because I feel so naked without them! Right now I want to have really long black hair to my waist, so I’m in the stage of trying not to cut it.

Tattoo imagery is so prominent in your work, and on your arms. What was your first one?
I got a crown when I was 15; that’s my first. It’s really horrible, but I’m keeping it as a memory [laughs]. I have French engravings, eyes, a drawing of young Jean Cocteau. It's like a collection of my favorite things. My friend Liam Sparkes did my last tattoo; he also did some artwork for my first collection, two seasons ago, so that’s the last that I have. I really want to get a sacred heart next, one of those Mexican ones, with the flames and arrows.

Red is such a signature for you—not only in your designs but also your beauty look. What power does it hold for you?
When I was in my final year [at Central Saint Martins], I did a full red look, and I found that I really liked it, in the way that it’s quite fearless and passionate. [The color] shows itself, and it’s quite out there. Since I was really young, I always tried to wear red lipstick; my mom used to tell me not to wear it, but I was like, 'I love it!' I feel like it’s such a good match with black hair. Now I have red nails—extensions. When I come to work, sometimes I don’t really care what I wear—just a puffy skirt and a T-shirt, or the same shirt two days in a row. But seeing my hands quite womanly still gives me hope about myself [laughs]. It’s nice when you’re working: Just looking at my nails being red and quite sexy, it really dresses it up.

Do you have a go-to lipstick shade?
I always use MAC Ruby Woo—that’s my favorite. It's really vibrant, and matte as well. Every time I try to buy any other red, I keep going back to Ruby Woo because nothing else is red enough.

What other beauty essentials are you into?
I’m always trying to find the perfect product. Right now, I’m using this amazing moisturizer, Sisley Black Rose. It must be popular right now because when I first tried to buy it, it was sold out!

You often infuse politics into your work; for example, beaded patches or cast-resin embellishments that have been modeled on female body parts. What women's issues do you think warrant attention these days?
Rape is a big problem in Turkey because both boys and girls—but I think it's mostly girls—are always taught to be silent. If a man does something wrong, girls are told to not speak about it. There are a lot of abuse victims, too, by their husbands or [others in their] households. These things happen. Inequality—I’m not even talking about it because it’s literally everywhere: in America, in England. It’s 2017, and we're still not there. I guess it’s something that we’re going to keep fighting for all the rest of our lives, [though] I hope not!

You have a lineup of compelling women—musicians, artists, activists—wearing your clothes. Who are your real-world muses?
My number one icon is Queen Elizabeth I. Being such a badass woman in the 16th century, she refused to get married; she said she didn't need a king to be the queen. That was quite a big move for her time. I like Marlene Dietrich because she wore the first men’s suit. Not that I think women have to wear suits to look powerful, but when everyone was wearing dresses, she wore something different. She’s quite a big character. Madonna wore my [Garden of Eden suit], and people were saying, basically, she’s the woman that I'm designing clothes for. She doesn’t care, she’s controversial, she fights for equality: She's fearless.

And she's not afraid to use style and beauty to express that.
Exactly. That is really important for me. I love dressing up; playing with how I look is a part of my life. Sometimes people tell me, 'Oh, your clothes are beautiful. I wish I could have the courage to wear them.' I’m like, You can! It’s all about white T-shirts and jeans these days, so maybe people should take their courage out and try new things.