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Vakko

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Turkish luxury fashion company and retail group spanning apparel, accessories, home goods, hospitality, education, and cultural initiatives.

Last updated August 22, 2026

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Overview

Vakko is a Turkish luxury fashion company and retail group founded in Istanbul in 1934 by Vitali Hakko. It began as Şen Şapka, a small hat business in Sultanhamam, before adopting the Vakko name and expanding into textile production, scarves, printed fabrics, ready-to-wear clothing, leather goods, accessories, and fragrances. The business is associated with the development of modern fashion retail in Turkey and has historically emphasized design, presentation, high-quality materials, and a premium shopping environment. The company’s first major transformation came in the late 1930s. After Vitali Hakko’s brother Albert became a partner, the business changed its name to Vakko and established a silk-dyeing workshop in Istanbul. It broadened its assortment beyond hats and introduced scarves made from Turkish silk, cotton, and wool. The company also adopted retail practices that were relatively novel in Turkey at the time, including fixed pricing, promotional sales, and replacement of sold merchandise. Vakko opened an eight-story flagship store on Istanbul’s İstiklal Avenue in 1962. The building included a café and fashion gallery and is widely described as Turkey’s first modern department store. Although that location closed in 2006, Vakko subsequently developed a network of department stores and boutiques in major shopping centers and urban retail districts. Its formats include Vakko department stores, Vakko Boutique, Vakkorama, Vakko Couture, Vakko Wedding, Vakko L’Atelier, Vakko Home, and Vakko Outlet. The group has also operated W Collection stores and other retail concepts. The company expanded outside Istanbul during the 1970s, opening stores in Ankara and İzmir, and briefly established a London location on Old Bond Street in 1979. Vakko used fashion shows and nationwide advertising to strengthen its identity as a leading Turkish fashion house. Its 1981 “Anatolian Sun” fashion and art presentation connected Anatolian cultural references with contemporary Western fashion and was presented in several European cities, including Rome, Vienna, Brussels, Paris, and London. Vakko has also pursued adjacent lifestyle and cultural activities. Vakkorama, launched in 1982, was developed as a youth-oriented retail concept. Its V2K Designers initiative later brought international designer labels and fashion influences from cities including New York, Paris, London, and Milan to Istanbul. Vakko Home entered home furnishings and household textiles in 2009. The company opened the Vakko Fashion Center in 2010, combining management offices, showrooms, a gallery, auditorium, museum-related facilities, and the Vitali Hakko Creative Industries Library. It also established Vakko Esmod in partnership with the Paris fashion school ESMOD and later created hospitality and food-and-beverage initiatives, including Vakko Patisserie and Vakko L’Atelier. Vakko’s business remains centered on premium fashion and retail in Turkey, while its wider activities include hospitality, fashion education, cultural programming, media-related assets, and food service. The company’s retail estate included 181 points of sale at the end of 2023 across department stores, boutiques, Vakkorama, W Collection, outlet, wedding, and home formats. Vakko is a privately held Turkish group; the available reference material identifies Vitali Hakko as its founder and Cem Hakko as the family successor, but does not provide a sufficiently current executive roster.

History

Vakko began in 1934 when Vitali Hakko opened Şen Şapka, a hat shop in Istanbul’s Sultanhamam district. The business initially specialized in hats, but its direction changed during the late 1930s after Hakko’s brother Albert joined as a partner. The company adopted the Vakko name and established a silk-dyeing workshop in Kurtuluş, in the Şişli area of Istanbul. It then began making scarves and other textile products from Turkish silk, cotton, and wool. Over time, Vakko moved into printed fabrics and ready-to-wear fashion, creating a broader brand rather than remaining a specialist milliner. The company helped introduce more modern retail conventions to the Turkish market. Its stores used fixed, non-negotiable prices, promotional events, and merchandise replacement practices. In 1962, Vakko opened an eight-story flagship on İstiklal Avenue in Beyoğlu. With a café and fashion gallery, the store represented a new department-store model in Turkey and became one of the brand’s most visible institutions. The location operated until 2006, when the premises became a Mango store. Vakko invested in production and geographical expansion during the 1960s and 1970s. A large factory was built in Merter in 1969, and stores followed in Ankara in 1973 and İzmir in 1979. The company promoted its growing identity through advertising and fashion shows across Turkey. In September 1979 it opened a store on London’s Old Bond Street, marking an early attempt to present Turkish-produced fashion to an international audience. The London operation sold merchandise that was largely produced by Vakko, but the company’s long-term retail concentration remained Turkey. In 1981, Vakko organized “Anatolian Sun,” a fashion and art presentation that linked Anatolian cultural themes with Western fashion concepts. The event was shown in Turkey and several European cities, helping position Vakko as a representative of contemporary Turkish design. In 1982, the company launched Vakkorama in Taksim, Istanbul, as a youth-oriented store concept. In 2000, Vakkorama introduced V2K Designers, initially framed around the connection between New York and Istanbul and later expanded to include designers and brands associated with Paris, London, and Milan. The 2000s brought further retail and brand development. Vakko opened at Istanbul’s Kanyon shopping mall in 2006 and presented a special collaboration under the “Zac Posen @Vakko” label. The same year, Gisele Bündchen was used as the face of a Vakko campaign. The company moved into a new Merter factory in 2008, with ready-to-wear and screen-printing facilities, logistics, offices, and employee amenities. Vakko Home launched in 2009, adding furnishings, household accessories, bed linens, and towels to the group’s fashion business. In 2010, the Vakko Fashion Center opened in Nakkaştepe, Istanbul. Designed by the New York architecture practice REX, it brought together administrative and creative departments, showrooms, an auditorium, a gallery, and cultural facilities. The Vitali Hakko Creative Industries Library was established as a specialist resource covering fashion, architecture, painting, design, cinema, and music. Vakko also launched Vakko Wedding House in 2010 and organized the Istancool culture and arts festival, which brought together figures from fashion, visual art, music, and other creative fields. A later exhibition focused on the work of milliner Stephen Jones. During the 2010s, Vakko continued to diversify. Vakko Esmod was established in 2013 in cooperation with ESMOD Paris, while Vakko Patisserie and the broader Vakko L’Atelier food-and-beverage concept were introduced in 2016. Hartford and Riviera Maison were incorporated into Vakko Holding in 2012 according to the supplied reference material. The group also maintained interests and activities connected with media, including Power Media, a radio and television operation associated with Vakko’s wider corporate structure. Vakko’s current identity combines a premium fashion label with a multi-format retail network and lifestyle platform. Its stores include department stores and specialized concepts such as Vakkorama, Vakko Couture, Vakko Wedding, Vakko Home, Vakko L’Atelier, and Vakko Outlet. By the end of 2023, the network was reported to contain 181 points of sale in Turkey. Beyond retail, the group has pursued hospitality, education, cultural programming, libraries, design exhibitions, and food service, maintaining the founder’s emphasis on fashion as part of a broader creative and cultural environment.

  • 2024

    VET Vakko School of Hospitality and Service opens

    [1]

    Vakko extends its educational activities into hospitality and service training with École hôtelière de Lausanne.

  • 2023

    Retail network reaches 181 points of sale

    [1]

    The reported network includes department stores, boutiques, Vakkorama, W Collection, outlet, wedding, and home locations.

  • 2016

    Vakko Patisserie and Vakko L’Atelier expansion

    [1]

    The group develops its food-and-beverage activities under the Vakko Patisserie and Vakko L’Atelier concepts.

  • 2013

    Vakko Esmod is established

    [1]

    Vakko creates a fashion education institution with Paris-based ESMOD.

  • 2010

    Vakko Fashion Center opens

    [1]

    The Nakkaştepe center consolidates offices, showrooms, cultural facilities, and creative operations.

  • 2009

    Vakko Home launches

    [1]

    The group enters home furnishings and household textiles.

  • 2006

    Kanyon store and Zac Posen collaboration

    [1]

    Vakko opens at Kanyon shopping mall and presents the Zac Posen @Vakko label; Gisele Bündchen appears in a Vakko campaign.

  • 2000

    V2K Designers is introduced

    [1]

    Vakkorama develops a designer and multi-brand concept initially connecting New York and Istanbul.

  • 1982

    Vakkorama launches

    [1]

    Vakko opens a youth-focused retail concept in Taksim, Istanbul.

  • 1981

    Anatolian Sun fashion and art presentation

    [1]

    Vakko presents a cultural fashion show linking Anatolian heritage with contemporary Western fashion in Turkey and Europe.

Products and positioning

A high-end Turkish fashion and lifestyle group combining luxury apparel, curated retail, design-led store environments, and adjacent cultural, hospitality, education, and home offerings.

  • Apparel

    Vakko Ready-to-Wear

    The core Vakko fashion assortment developed from the company’s earlier hat, scarf, textile, and printed-fabric business. It includes premium clothing for men and women, supported by the brand’s emphasis on refined materials, formal presentation, and Turkish fashion design.

  • Accessories

    Vakko Accessories and Leather Goods

    A major part of the Vakko offer consists of scarves, handbags, small leather goods, shoes, hats, and other fashion accessories. The category extends the company’s historic association with textile accessories and its broader luxury positioning.

  • Occasionwear

    Vakko Couture

    Vakko Couture is a specialized format focused on elevated and occasion-oriented fashion. It complements the main Vakko assortment with more formal, design-led offerings for customers seeking premium event and evening clothing.

  • Wedding and formalwear · 2010

    Vakko Wedding

    Vakko Wedding brings together bridal and ceremony-related products, including evening dresses, tuxedos, accessories, underwear, and hats for couples and their families. The concept was supported by the opening of Vakko Wedding House in Istanbul in 2010.

  • Home · 2009

    Vakko Home

    Vakko Home extends the brand into interiors and household use, offering furnishings, home accessories, bed linens, towels, and related domestic products. It represents Vakko’s move from personal fashion into a wider luxury lifestyle proposition.

  • Youth and concept retail · 1982

    Vakkorama

    Vakkorama is Vakko’s youth-oriented retail concept, launched in Istanbul in 1982. It later developed V2K Designers, a multi-brand platform that introduced international designers and fashion labels from several global fashion centers.

  • Food and beverage · 2016

    Vakko L’Atelier

    Vakko L’Atelier is the group’s broader food-and-beverage concept, associated with patisserie and related hospitality-style services. It reflects the company’s strategy of creating lifestyle destinations rather than operating solely as a fashion retailer.

Marketing campaigns

  • 2012Istancool

    Turkey

    A later edition of Istancool hosted figures including Carine Roitfeld, Mario Sorrenti, and Pınar Yolaçan.

    Outcome. The program continued Vakko’s use of cultural events to connect fashion with international creative communities.

    Source
  • 2010Istancool

    Turkey

    Vakko organized a culture and arts festival bringing together participants from fashion, art, music, and other creative disciplines, including Daphne Guinness, Philip Treacy, and Michael Nyman.

    Outcome. The festival broadened Vakko’s role from fashion retailer to cultural platform.

    Source
  • 2006Gisele Bündchen Vakko campaign

    Turkey

    International model Gisele Bündchen was selected as the face of a Vakko advertising campaign.

    Outcome. The campaign associated Vakko with international fashion imagery and supported the brand’s premium positioning.

    Source
  • 1981Anatolian Sun

    Turkey · Italy · Austria · Belgium · France · United Kingdom

    A fashion and art presentation combining Anatolian cultural references with contemporary Western fashion. The program was presented in Istanbul and subsequently shown in Rome, Vienna, Brussels, Paris, and London.

    Outcome. The event strengthened Vakko’s cultural positioning and introduced the company to European audiences as a representative of contemporary Turkish fashion.

    Source

Brand decisions

  • 2010

    Opening of Vakko Fashion CenterStrategy

    Background

    The company wanted a headquarters capable of bringing together management, creative teams, showrooms, and cultural activities.

    Action taken

    Vakko opened a REX-designed center in Nakkaştepe containing offices, showrooms, an auditorium, gallery, and library facilities.

    Aftermath

    The center became a physical expression of Vakko’s integration of fashion, design, culture, and corporate operations.

    Source

  • 2009

    Entry into home lifestyleStrategy

    Background

    Vakko pursued growth beyond personal apparel and accessories by extending its premium brand into domestic products.

    Action taken

    The company launched Vakko Home with furnishings, accessories, bed linens, towels, and related household goods.

    Aftermath

    Vakko’s proposition expanded from fashion brand to broader lifestyle group.

    Source

  • 1982

    Launch of VakkoramaStrategy

    Background

    Vakko sought to engage younger consumers and participate in a more contemporary, international fashion culture.

    Action taken

    It opened Vakkorama in Taksim as a youth-focused retail concept.

    Aftermath

    Vakkorama became a distinct platform within the group and later supported the V2K Designers multi-brand initiative.

    Source

  • 1962

    Creation of a modern department-store flagshipStrategy

    Background

    Vakko needed a prominent retail environment that could present its growing fashion assortment and distinguish the brand from conventional apparel shops.

    Action taken

    The company opened an eight-story store on İstiklal Avenue with a café and fashion gallery.

    Aftermath

    The store became a landmark of Vakko’s retail identity and is described as Turkey’s first modern department store.

    Source

  • 1937

    Shift from hat retail to textile and fashion productionStrategy

    Background

    The original Şen Şapka business was primarily a hat seller, but the company sought a broader and more scalable fashion identity.

    Action taken

    After changing its name to Vakko, the business established a silk-dyeing workshop and expanded into scarves, printed fabrics, and ready-to-wear products.

    Aftermath

    The decision created the product and manufacturing base for Vakko’s later development as a full fashion company.

    Source

Sources2 sources

  1. 1Vakkoen.wikipedia.org
  2. 2Vakko official websitevakko.com

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