Winter Digital_2_2019

Dreams
TEXT BY BERHAN NEBIOGLU
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM MCGUIRE
Style, grace and creativity keep Berhan Nebioglu in the forefront of Charlotte fashion at age 70.
This elegant and extraordinary fashionista shares her dreams with Charlotte Living.
Each of us has a dream of the things we want to do
in life and the life we want to live. “Team Berhan,”
my ten top models dedicated to fashion, style and
elegance, is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
Each year during Charlotte Fashion Week, Team
Berhan is part of the show, both training the new
models and walking the runway. It combines my
lifetime passion for style, elegance, dance and
theatrical productions.
I believe that every person has dreams – not the
ones you have in your sleep at night, but those you
have in the daytime when you imagine what the
future will be, or wish it to be. As a young girl I was
filled with dreams. As I grew older, my childhood
dreams became my guides during both happy and
difficult times that have led me to the sense of satisfaction
that comes with seeing your dreams
fulfilled.
I still remember the best thing about my days in
elementary school was the window in my schoolroom,
the one I would stare out every day. Looking
out the window my mind would run free imagining
I was in the movies, dancing in shows, falling in love
with someone like Troy Donahue or Rock Hudson,
dressing like Audrey Hepburn in style with the most
sophisticated outfits, beautiful jewelry, purse, shoes
to match and a hat. My teacher would call my name,
but I heard nothing but the music and images of my
imagination.
My teachers wanted me to concentrate on the lessons
and instruction, but the fantasies I saw while
looking out the window were much more real than
the blackboard. They called to me in a stronger voice,
and held me in rapt attention, while my teacher
seemed a distant distraction.
In high school, dance and theater were my two
favorite subjects, but I struggled through math, as
numbers remained an unfathomable mystery to
me. I spent hours looking through Vogue and other
fashion magazines, less focused on the name of the
designers than the fashions themselves. My father
was an architect, and I think his love of art and
design had rubbed off on me, as I loved things visual
– paintings, dance, and theater.
My dreams began to come true after I moved to
Charlotte in my late twenties. With two children to
raise, I made the time to become involved in art,
dance and fashion, squeezing classes into my
already packed schedule. I secured a job at Barbizon
Modeling School, and through my studies and passion
for dance began to meet people in the Charlotte
art, design and fashion scene, which was a small
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