Good People of vitruta: Çiğdem Paçal

Çiğdem, welcome to the Good People of vitruta! Let’s start with our classic question: who is Çiğdem Paçal? How did it all begin, and what is your journey like?

Thank you! I’m so happy and motivated to be part of such a beautiful community. I graduated from Sabancı University with a degree in Visual Communication Design. After working as an art director for about four years, I decided to pursue jewelry design and moved to New York. There, I completed my education in jewelry design at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After six years in New York and a few months in Los Angeles, I returned to Turkey to establish my brand, PACAL. I’ve been here for five years now. With vitruta, I aim to reach more people with PACAL. We have exciting plans for the future, and I want to expand PACAL internationally as well.

So how did the story of PACAL begin? How did the transition from a different career to design and entrepreneurship develop?

I’m definitely born to be an entrepreneur. I’m certain it was inevitable for me! :) I was never the kind of child who played house. I used to make and sell beaded bracelets. I had set a three-year plan for myself to start my own business. While working as an art director, we rented a place in French Passage in Karaköy. I had started out aiming to create a digital agency, but before it even began, that journey ended, leading me down a different path for PACAL. It all started during a trip to Paris when I bought a pair of earrings made of plexiglass from Furla, and I lost one on the day I returned. I was upset, but I stubbornly thought I could make one just like it. This was in 2009. At that time, I was working in an office in Galata. Karaköy, a paradise for plexiglass, was just below me. During lunch breaks, I started researching how to replicate the earring at plexiglass shops in Karaköy. My work soon took on a new dimension. I began creating jewelry using geometric shapes that I designed myself. I bought polishing machines, hid them under the table in the office, and sometimes even slept there while making jewelry. I started selling in America, Paris, and China. One day, I saw my work in the window of H&M. There were many imitations made of my designs, which actually served as great motivation for me. I wanted to learn jewelry design from scratch, working with precious metals and stones. PACAL became a brand I established by building on all this educational experience.

What inspires you when creating your designs? What do you draw from the most?

I transform objects that are not typically perceived as jewelry into wearable forms. Many of these forms are hidden within architectural structures. The first necklace I made by hand was inspired by a form from the columns inside La Sagrada Familia. It’s a fascinating structure that continues to inspire me.

You spend a long part of the year in Bodrum. What do you do there? Where do you go, and what places do you like to spend time in?

My adventure in Bodrum started during the pandemic. I can breathe in nature, and I’ve felt that more strongly over the last two years. I have a nice routine during my time in Bodrum. Our house is a bit up the hill, a 20-minute walk from the beach, which has an empty shore in the mornings. I put on my headphones and open the meditation I need at that moment on the Insight Timer app, then I jog to the beach. I sit by the sea for 15-20 minutes, thinking about my dreams and expressing gratitude for what I have. Every morning, I have breakfast with my mother using the produce she grows herself—my mother, me, our dog Misha, and our cats Kara, Manken, and Bıdık. Friends often come to visit, and when they do, I set my routine aside a bit. When I get bored working from home, my favorite place is Zai. It has a large table in its library, and it’s usually empty. This year, my favorite fine dining experience was at Brava Bodrum in the Edition Hotel, and I enjoyed Zaaf with my dear friend Selçuk Gerger. I love music and dancing. Wu Yalıkavak is like our second home in Bodrum. I highly recommend Daze’s burgers, and Arka Pizza is one of the most frequented places in Bodrum, especially for its value for money.

Are there any recent books, podcasts, or films/series that you’ve read, listened to, or watched that have impacted you?

I’ve started listening to the Huberman Lab Podcast. It’s an interdisciplinary science podcast that studies the nervous system. Dr. Andrew Huberman is a neuroscience professor at Stanford University, and he discusses scientific research on how our brains and their connections with our organs control our perceptions, behaviors, and health.

The best movie I’ve seen recently is “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Every morning, as soon as I wake up, I go to my Insight Timer app. For the past two weeks, I’ve been listening to the same meditation, which is essentially a podcast-style meditation. I listen to Nicole Bayliss’s “Embracing Flow,” a 26-minute meditation I enjoy every morning.

Finally, we’d love to know your top three favorite brands at vitruta! ☺

If we don’t count my own brand, PACAL :)—I really admire Rains for their minimal design, excellent color choices, and waterproof fabrics. I love the eyewear brand Chimi, which I wore and adored during the photoshoot. Additionally, I find the designs of the shoe brand Camper to be creative and innovative, and I feel very comfortable wearing them.

For the products selected and used by Çiğdem Paçal during the photoshoot, click here.