Ezgi Sezer Crafting Wearable Talismans

From Grand Bazaar Silversmithing to Mystical Storytelling in Sterling Silver by Ezgi Sezer for Esora

Jewelry often transcends adornment to become an intimate language of memory and protection. For designer Ezgi Sezer, founder of Esora, sterling silver acts as a canvas for the unseen. She began her creative journey at Istanbul Bilgi University, where esoteric symbols first shaped her work. However, a passion for silversmithing quickly guided her toward wearable talismans instead of fleeting garments.

Today, Esora bridges ancient heritage and personal mythology. Sezer roots her production within the historic workshops of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. Furthermore, master craftsmen shape each piece with centuries-old metalworking traditions. In this exclusive conversation with IRK Magazine, Ezgi Sezer reveals how she turns childhood nostalgia and sacred symbols into expressive silver treasures.

How Ezgi Sezer Shaped the Genesis of Esora

IRK: As an Istanbul Bilgi University Fashion Design alumnus, how did your academic foundation plant the seeds for Esora?

Ezgi Sezer (Founder of Esora): I think Esora still carries the traces of my final project. My thesis and project were centered on esoteric symbols, healers, and unseen layers. I made the garments from layered, see-through materials. Still, accessories always mattered more to me. I used eyes and hands extensively throughout my work. They appeared in my studies and in everything I drew since childhood. Symbols like the all-seeing eye and the healer’s hand took on personal meaning. Today, I still carry that forward in Esora.

IRK: You graduated with a background in Fashion Design. What inspired your pivot toward fine jewelry and silversmithing? How did your studies shape your approach to wearable objects?

Ezgi Sezer: At university, I only took one elective semester on jewelry design and silversmithing, and in that class I felt a calling. After graduating, I specialized in sustainable textiles and fashion design and worked at a number of different brands. Over the years, I also designed other products for these brands, like leather shoes and bags, but I always noticed that I could express myself better through details. I wanted to create things people could wear every single day. That’s what drew me toward accessories. I still miss textiles every day, and in the long run I want to expand Esora’s product range too.

IRK: The brand carries a deeply atmospheric, almost mystical signature “handcrafted for your higher self.” What was the core philosophy or turning point that inspired you to bring Esora to life?

Ezgi Sezer: It comes back to my fascination with mysticism, for feelings and things I can’t explain, I invent my own answers in my imagination. I see the self that knows everything about me better than I do as my higher self, and I know everyone has one. That’s why I think of the symbolism in Esora’s designs as my higher self designing specifically for other people’s higher selves, something for them to carry like a talisman.

Amulets, Myth, and the Poetic World of Esora

IRK: Esora’s pieces feel like intimate amulets rather than accessories. This shines through your shell motifs and sterling silver. How do you translate an inner concept into a wearable object?

Ezgi Sezer: First, I build a story in my head. This story always has a main character, and everything else takes shape around that, the side characters emerge from there. I sketch all of them, and then I think about how we can bring these side characters into our everyday lives and carry the story on our bodies, that’s how I turn them into products.

IRK: Shell motifs are timeless staples in jewelry. How do you reinterpret them for Esora’s signature identity? What sets “Lost at Sea” apart for your audience?

Ezgi Sezer: In fact, I think people really connected with our main character, our mermaid. After all, she resembles Esora’s other characters: somewhat familiar, yet distinctly foreign. She’s that effortlessly beautiful, free person who’s always in the water, the one we all want to become in summer and we wanted her with us even in the city. At least, that’s how it was for me.

As children, we collected shells from the shore and gave them meaning. We carried that feeling into these pieces. As always, we gave them faces so they could speak. I think that is what people responded to. When designing for Esora, I always return to my childhood. I recall emotions I had forgotten. People connect with that same joy from their own memories. That is truly my only wish.

IRK: How has your core design language matured from your earliest pieces through to Lost at Sea?

Ezgi Sezer: Honestly, it hasn’t “matured” in a traditional growing-up sense; rather, as I got to know my customers better, I began designing collections with far more confidence. Through it all, the beating heart of Esora remains the eyes and the faces.

Ancient Kapalıçarşı Roots and the Expanding Horizon of Esora

IRK: Keeping production rooted in the historic workshops of Kapalıçarşı, you choose a deeply traditional path in a modern world. What does production in the Grand Bazaar bring to Esora’s soul and the tactile quality of your pieces?

Ezgi Sezer: I love the mystical, traditional energy of the Grand Bazaar, and I think it suits Esora perfectly. It means a lot to me that Esora’s roots come from this historic place, known for centuries of gold and silver craftsmanship.

Someday, when Esora has grown further in the world, I’d like to share that value with everyone. Having the pieces made by hand by masters who’ve done this work for years elevates the quality of the products enormously, I believe.

IRK: Beyond the jewelry, your world relies on curated packaging, mail art, and intimate sketches. What inspires you to build this entire sensory universe around a collection rather than just selling a product?

Ezgi Sezer: What I love most is imagining these stories and illustrating them. Since we think of the products not just as products but as part of a larger story, we want the packaging to give our customers the remaining pieces of that story too.

IRK: Looking back at how far Esora has come since your university days and looking ahead at what’s to come, what is the ultimate dream or untold chapter you hope to write for the brand next?

Ezgi Sezer: I’m deeply moved just thinking about it. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to create something entirely my own. There were times I lost enthusiasm. My day job often drained my focus and motivation. Yet, reaching the point of finally doing it brought an incredible sense of relief.

Esora, which started on top of my bed in my tiny apartment, now has an office and hundreds of customers. Looking ahead, my biggest goal is to take Esora out into the world. In fact, I want to open a shop in Europe. Furthermore, beyond accessories, I plan to introduce new pieces that complete our story.

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Credits:

Photography: Melis Albayrak
Photography Assistant: Çağdaş Sezgin
Videography: Ceren Günsal
Styling: Ceren Abay
Hair & Makeup: Şeyma Erikçi
Prop Styling: Öykü Aydemir
Production: Alina Berezovskaya
Talent: Vera Poloskova (Cool Mgmt), Sıla Burgucu Gürpınar