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Save this story Save Story Save this story A handbag is rarely just a handbag. It can be a keeper of secrets, a declaration of status, or a traveling companion—not to mention a rather expensive place to keep one’s keys. At Beymen Tersane, Istanbul’s newest shopping destination, it takes on another role: that of a vessel for cultural memory. This idea lies at the heart of “Timeless Treasures—The Eternal Journey of the Bag,” an exhibition inaugurated to mark the cultural complex’s opening, bringing together 80 creations from 55 international brands in a dialogue between contemporary design and the layered heritage of Anatolia and the Ottoman Empire.
Curated by Laurence Benaïm , the presentation is less an exercise in historical illustration than an invitation to look at memory through a different perspective. The challenge, she explained, was not to reproduce traditional motifs or reduce Ottoman references to decorative shorthand, but to translate their spirit into a modern design language. Her vision was that of a “curiosity cabinet of dreams and craftsmanship,” where newly commissioned pieces sit alongside archival treasures from the likes of Dior , Louis Vuitton , and Schiaparelli .
The journey unfolds across seven chapters, each exploring a different facet of the relationship between bags and cultural memory. Precious Envelopes includes the pouches once used by ambassadors to carry letters, imperial decrees and secrets, a reminder that the art of keeping things under wraps has a long history. Heavenly Gardens draws on the flora and fauna of İznik ceramics and Ottoman palace gardens, while Golden Jewels explores the allure of gold. Magical Boxes considers the bag as guardian of private possessions and hidden treasures, a function that has hardly lost its appeal. Nomad Memories traces the weaving, leatherwork, and saddlebag traditions that traveled from Central Asia to Anatolia. A final glance towards the future brings in three designs by young Turkish talents, selected through a competition supported by Beymen in collaboration with local universities. Among the historical highlights is a piece of luxurious archaeology: a massive Louis Vuitton wardrobe trunk, made in 1886 at the Maison’s Asnières atelier for Sultan Abdülhamid II.
A massive Louis Vuitton wardrobe trunk, made in 1886 at the Maison’s Asnières atelier for Sultan Abdülhamid II.
For Benaïm, the point is that heritage should not be treated as a fixed inheritance or an exercise in nostalgia. “Heritage isn’t about looking backwards. It’s about carrying the beauty of the past into the future,” she remarked. The exhibition, more than two years in the making, is a “love letter to Turkish culture” and an exploration of the ways in which fashion can preserve cultural memory while giving it new meaning. “There is no luxury without soul, without heart and without love, and without a sense of time,” Benaïm added.
The choice of venue is not incidental. Beymen Tersane occupies part of the historic shipyard on the Golden Horn, a site stretching back some 600 years, reimagined by Rem Koolhaas’s OMA as a 12,000-square-meter destination for fashion, art, and lifestyle. Rather than imposing another conventional department-store interior on the monumental structure, the architects conceived a horizontal sequence of eight galleries.
“Timeless Treasures—The Eternal Journey of the Bag,” features bags by 55 international brands including newly commissioned pieces and archival treasures from the likes of Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Schiaparelli.
For Beymen Group CEO Elif Çapçı, the project continues the conversation started in 2023 with “Golden Opulence,” a 50th anniversary exhibition in which 50 international brands were commissioned for a unique piece. This time, the bag became the focus, “an object whose changing form and function offers a revealing record of shifting lifestyles, tastes and social codes,” Çapçı noted.
Rachid Mohamed Rachid, CEO of Mayhoola and chairman of Beymen, sees Beymen Tersane as part of a broader ambition to bring the cultural complexities of Turkey to the attention of the international luxury world. But there is something deeper at stake here than a showcase of commercial partnerships. “As Istanbul has always understood, the most interesting exchanges happen when different worlds meet without either having to surrender its identity,” he said.
And perhaps this is the point: The handbag, after all, is a meeting place of its own, a repository of craftsmanship, memory, and imagination. There is clearly more to it than what fits inside. Though isn’t it nice that it also accommodates a phone, a lipstick and a pair of sunglasses?
“Timeless Treasures—The Eternal Journey of the Bag” is on view at Istanbul’s Beymen Tersane through February 8, 2027.
Istanbul’s Beyman Tersane shopping destination.
Source: Lifestyle
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