Mert Alaş on Artistic Sensory Fusion
Fashion photographer Mert Alaş, part of the groundbreaking duo Mert and Marcus, explored perfumery before launching Seventy One gin.
Creative Philosophy
“Creativity has to be emotional, it has to be true, and it has to risk something,” says Mert Alaş.
Career Beginnings and Collaboration
Born in Istanbul in 1971, Mert Alaş met Marcus Piggott in 1994. Their partnership took off with a Dazed and Confused cover and later spanned top magazines and fashion houses, shaping a distinctive era of visual storytelling.
Innovating Seventy One Gin
After studying perfumery techniques, Alaş co-founded Seventy One gin in 2021. His goal was to reinvent gin as a pure, stand-alone spirit without relying on sugary mixers.
- He distilled each botanical separately to capture its pure essence.
- The gin then rests for 71 nights in oak casks, a rare practice in gin making, to develop smoother, bolder, and more nuanced flavors.
“The result was spectacular, but the journey was only beginning. To make it smoother, bolder, and more complex, I decided to introduce cask-resting—something rare in the world of gin.”
Artistry and Sensuality in Gin Crafting
Alaş believes beauty starts with feeling rather than image. He approaches gin creation with the same emotional sensitivity and focus on light as his photography work.
“I’ve always believed beauty begins with a feeling, not an image. When I started creating Seventy One, I approached it the same way I approach photography—through emotion and light.”
Author’s summary: Mert Alaş blends his photographic artistry and emotional insight to craft Seventy One gin, innovating with distillation and aging for a uniquely expressive spirit.