It was from there we set sail for Istanbul where we would be based for the next three months. Istanbul WOW, what a city although this was covid times the city still had its euphoric atmosphere. The Bosporous river ran through the heart of the city separating Asia from Europe. It was from Istanbul that Porter really thrived. Staying in a hotel local to the shipyard in Beylikduzu, Josh would arise at 5am to communicate with the suppliers in Asia via WeChat. It was during this time we really developed a relationship with our suppliers through relentless nitpicking and continuous questioning ( They probably hated us). If you are reading this and can relate to this next comment we salute you! It was waking up in these early hours and getting shit done that I, Josh became most alive with this project, in honesty, I hated my day job the fulfilment I got in those hours each day kept me going. Ironically I was living in the heart of an industrial city where industry still thrives. Turkey felt like such a surreal experience, a wild country that was so nationalist and proud!
During this period, we arranged for our first samples to be sent from the factory, and took our first photoshoot in the heart of Istanbul.
This was also a great opportunity for us to discover the complexities of our design. This being our first prototype it was important for us to trial and error, what we initially thought would give us a show stopping effect to the exterior, in fact became a magnet for scrapes and scratches. Our original logo had a gel film over the top which became discoloured once oxidised in sunlight. It was back to the drawing board to find a better solution.
We absolutely adored Bebek which is a must see area when you visit Istanbul. Turkey will always have a place in our heart as it is where we really laid the foundations for this Business.
We hope you enjoyed reading this short snippet into the Porter journey, if you are reading this please tell a friend or share my story, it is through storytelling I really want to connect with our audience.
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