To begin, to set out on a path, and to do it solely for your own truth. Our friendship with Özgür Masur, spanning over a decade, has been filled with moments that remind us creation is not a destination, but the journey itself. It’s not the dazzling backstage world it may seem from afar. It’s a sign that despite your inner wars and even yourself, you can still stand on your own two feet. When we first embarked on this journey, his words were etched in my mind. Now, as we leave behind our tenth year, whenever I feel weak, I still take refuge in his words and find my answers there because he is the greatest warrior I’ve ever known. To be independent and stay that way is like his symbol. And the only thing he believes in, is his imagination. The endless passion he has for his work, is his weapon. That’s how he keeps defying time and stays timeless.

In Özgür Masur’s world there’s no place for societal norms nor trends. He creates his own truths and his own fashion. “Fear was haunting me like a shadow for the longest time. Questions like ‘Will it sell?’ ‘Will it be approved by everyone?’ and ‘Am I doing the right thing?’ were suffocating my creativity,” Looking at where he stands today, aren’t those feelings both difficult to understand and somehow familiar? “The absence of fear is what shaped me into my truest self. When I began trusting my intuition, when I broke the chains fear once wrapped around me; my designs became more honest, more liberated, and, in turn, stronger. Now I dare to be wrong, I dare to lose. This freedom is what defines my essence today.” he adds. Everyone who is not scared of being themselves has their own safe haven, and I think, I found mine a long time ago.

DUYGU In your own creative journey, what does it mean to be brave?

ÖZGÜR For me, to be brave is to be able to risk it all. One cannot be creative without taking risks. Sometimes, bravery is walking without the fear of falling down. It’s about staying true to your own path even when everything threatens to fall apart.

DUYGU Can you share a moment when you created something with no rules, no apologies. One that stuck with you?

ÖZGÜR In the early days of my journey as an independent fashion brand, there were moments when I found myself creating designs I never truly wanted: guided more by commercial concerns than by instinct. One night, I faced my unhappiness and said: ‘I truly want to create things I want to create; even if it doesn’t sell, I want to try.’ I’ll never forget the morning after I made that decision: the quiet rush of happiness and freedom that filled me as I woke.

DUYGU How has fear—or the absence of it— shaped the way you express yourself?

ÖZGÜR Fear was haunting me like a shadow for the longest time. Questions like ‘Will it sell?’ ‘Will it be approved by everyone?’ and ‘Am I doing the right thing?’ were suffocating my creativity. The absence of fear is what shaped me into my truest self. When I began trusting my intuition, when I broke the chains fear once wrapped around me; my designs became more honest, more liberated, and, in turn, stronger. Now I dare to be wrong, I dare to lose. This freedom is what defines my essence today.

DUYGU What’s one risky decision you made for your art that ended up defining your creative voice?

ÖZGÜR Realizing that what truly matters in my art is what I want, and gaining the ability to think that way, became possible through my experiences. This process taught me to always trust the truth of my inner voice. Even though the decisions I’ve made were risky, I embraced them more deeply because they were born from feelings that were entirely my own.

**ÖZGÜR** wears a full look from his archive.

DUYGU If your creative work could deliver one brave monologue to the world, what would it say?

ÖZGÜR write my own path, my own story and I let no one interfere. Perhaps that’s the most powerful monologue an independent designer could deliver.

DUYGU When the world goes quiet, what does your courage tell you?

ÖZGÜR I think silence gives people the truth. To be able to tell yourself the truth, in my opinion, is the greatest act of courage.

DUYGU When you’re standing at the edge of the unknown, what pushes you forward?

ÖZGÜR My freedom has always given me courage. Acting with logic may help keep the system running, but being certain of my emotions has always been what pushes me forward.

DUYGU Do you consider yourself brave when it comes to life?

ÖZGÜR I may seem brave when it comes to life, but sometimes I fail to be brave with myself.

“Bana göre cesur olmak, kaybetmeyi de göze alabilmektir. Risk almadan yaratıcılık olmaz. Bazen düşmekten korkmadan yürümek, bazen de her şeyin ters gitme ihtimaline rağmen kendi yolunda kalabilmektir.”

-Özgür Masur

DUYGU What does creativity mean to you?

ÖZGÜR For me, creating means silencing the world and listening to the channels that open within me. Those moments are my meditation.

DUYGU How does pushing boundaries manifest in your reality?

ÖZGÜR For me, pushing boundaries means setting out in search of the answer to a question I don’t yet know. This journey both shapes and teaches me. Every step I take into the unknown is a risk; sometimes it brings reward, sometimes only a lesson. But each time, it confronts me with my own truths. I may accept that truth, or I may not, but I know that courage is chasing the questions you don’t yet have the answers to, and fighting to learn from them. That’s how boundaries are redefined for me.

DUYGU We all go through times when we are a bit hard on ourselves. When and how did you stop apologizing for yourself and your choices?

ÖZGÜR I don’t think I’ve ever apologized to myself. I’m not in a gloomy state of mind where I feel the need to, but I only hope that one day I won’t regret saying this: for the moments I missed, or the things I couldn’t do.

FROM BASED ISTANBUL N45 10TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE: BRAVE MONOLOGUES

Buy your copy now!

Cover Guest Özgür Masur
Creative Direction & Words by Duygu Bengi
Photography by Abdullah Yazıc
Styled by Emre Köklüçınar
Head of Talent Hair and Makeup Önder Tiryaki
Creative Group Head Yağız Yeşilkaya
Producer Tunga Yankı Tan
Creative Production by BI Creative
Special Thanks to Cansu Sıtacı
Creative Team Duru Ustaoğlu, Kerem Acar
Hair Team Batuhan Sancar, Enes Sakızcı, Mustafa Akgül
Make-Up Team Doğukan Tuncer, Esra Poyraz, Hazar Baştürk
Gaffer Onur Karaca
Photography Assistants Hakan Diner, Hamza Kazım Esen
Styling Assistants Elif Akpunar, Şimal Özyiğit
Editorial Brews by Starbucks Türkiye
Bites by Focamia