Istanbul-based fashion label Les Benjamins presented its 15th-anniversary collection, "From Earth to Sky," in the Güllüdere Valley of Cappadocia, Turkey, according to 케이트렌디뉴스. Three hot air balloons in green, yellow and pink rose above the valley's red rock formations as models walked out beneath them. The show featured ten looks in total, and the three balloons were built specifically for the event.
Apple took part by highlighting its own devices in the design and filming process. Founder Bünyamin Aydın sketched garments and balloons on an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil Pro, and French director Neels Castillon shot the show on an iPhone 18 Pro Max, 케이트렌디뉴스 reports. Footage from the event was released through Apple's global promotional channels.
Why it matters
The collaboration shows how a fashion anniversary can double as a product demonstration for a technology company. Les Benjamins gained exposure to a wider audience through Apple's marketing reach, while Apple used the Cappadocia setting to showcase its design and video tools. 케이트렌디뉴스 notes that this arrangement carries a risk: when the spectacle and the technology take center stage, the clothing itself can receive less attention.
The scale of the production made that tension visible. The balloons and canyon dominated the frame, and in wide shots the fabric texture, cut and finishing details of the garments were hard to distinguish. 케이트렌디뉴스 observes that as runway productions grow larger, showing the actual design requires more careful planning.
A yellow dress and a yellow kaftan
The collection drew on Anatolian nature, traditional textiles, cultural exchange along the Silk Road and 1970s Turkish rock music, according to the report.
The yellow dress was fitted through the torso and built up with layered fabric below the waist. Pleats ran from chest to waist, the hemline was cut at uneven lengths, and a high slit on one side exposed the leg. Dark shoes and swept-back hair set off the bright color. 케이트렌디뉴스 notes that the yellow was inspired by tulips seen in Cappadocia, but the flower's form was not clearly translated into the garment's structure. Layered pleating and uneven hems, the report adds, are common techniques in contemporary eveningwear.
The yellow kaftan leaned more directly on Turkish tradition. The loose outer robe fell from the shoulders, carried black geometric patterns, and was worn open over a light top and dark trousers, with wide sleeves and a long hem. Layered jewelry, long hair and a branch carried in hand evoked the stage look of a 1970s rock musician. The outfit was a tribute to Barış Manço, the Anatolian rock figure known for his long hair, mustache, ornate jewelry and outerwear.
케이트렌디뉴스 points out that the styling placed heavy emphasis on pattern, jewelry and props, drawing attention to the overall image of the wearer rather than the cut of the garment. The report suggests that fewer ornaments would have let the robe's length and shape read more clearly, and that the connection between traditional dress and 1970s rock remained more a matter of surface styling than of new construction or materials.
The two looks used their cultural references differently. The dress emphasized natural color and the movement of fabric; the kaftan drew directly on traditional garment shapes and a musician's public image. Within one collection, the depth of the cultural engagement varied from piece to piece, the report says.
Balloons, branding and the tourist image
The three balloons took their colors from local plants, including a green echinus, a pink flower and the yellow tulip. Aydın and his production team designed them, and local operator Pasha Balloons handled the technical side of flight, according to 케이트렌디뉴스. Hot air balloons are already a signature image of Cappadocia's tourism industry, and the label brought that symbol into the center of its anniversary event.
Mounting the show required garment makers, models, a camera crew and balloon operators on site, with weather, wind and shifting daylight all affecting the production. On the outdoor runway, the report notes, the long hem and high slit of the dress could be a practical burden, and the gap between staging effect and real-world wearability matters.
Apple's promotional material described in detail how the iPad handled design work and how the iPhone captured professional video, including drone footage. 케이트렌디뉴스 cautions that the event was completed by designers, seamstresses, balloon technicians and a film crew, each bringing separate expertise, and that the use of Apple devices alone does not account for the creative and technical work on the ground.
Les Benjamins was founded by Aydın in Istanbul in 2011. It began with printed T-shirts and expanded into menswear, womenswear, shoes and accessories, applying geometric patterns and ornament from Turkish carpets to modern streetwear. Collaborations with international sportswear brands broadened its customer base. The anniversary collection continues that fusion of traditional pattern and contemporary silhouette, though it leans more heavily on sculptural pieces such as long coats and dresses than earlier work did.
What to watch: whether the label releases closer, detail-focused imagery of the ten looks, and whether the Apple partnership becomes a recurring format for its future presentations.
