How I got my job as… Creative Director and Founder of Almost Favourite

# Overview

# Background and approach Irmak's education taught her to tell stories through visuals. She cites typography as a formative interest—how spacing or letter shape can change a word's personality. Her first role was as a graphic designer at Bone Magazine in Istanbul, where travel-driven photography influenced her appreciation for strong imagery.

Her founding insight was practical and personal: when she attended studios and classes she cared about her outfit but couldn't find grip socks that matched her style. She wanted simple aesthetics, interesting colours and a touch of humour. That starting point drove product decisions: comfortable fit, dependable grip, and designs that read like moods or short phrases.

# Design process and product choices

Caps and tote bags are the first moves beyond studio accessories. These products follow the same brief: everyday essentials that people will reach for repeatedly, designed with the same attention to material, colour and messaging as the socks.

# Role as Creative Director Her role spans micro and macro decisions: colour choices, texture selection and image framing alongside bringing the team's work together so the original idea translates into real products and experiences. The creative director role is as much about maintaining coherence across details as it is about forming the overarching visual story.

# Work routine and discipline Irmak structures her day around early mornings. She wakes before 5am, sets aside phone-free time, then goes for a long walk—sometimes with a friend or an inspiring podcast. If time allows, she fits in Lagree, strength training or barre. Workdays focus on design tasks, meetings and office time, with evenings reserved for a walk with her dog, Posh, and home time to wind down.

# Practical advice for founders and designers Her recommended method for anyone with a passion project: give the idea a place in your week and break it down into manageable, actionable steps—one design, one sample, one product. Momentum grows by chipping away consistently until the idea becomes something tangible. This mirrors how she launched Almost Favourite: starting with a single functional product and expanding deliberately.

# What the brand aims to do

# Takeaway The brand's trajectory is practical: a design-led founder solved a personal need with a single, well-made product, then extended the same design principles into adjacent categories. The process is disciplined—structured routines, attention to detail and incremental progress are the operational core.