Popular Turkish content creator Turkan Atay has gone public with serious allegations against renowned Pakistani fashion designer Maria B, accusing the brand of failing to deliver full payment for a fashion shoot conducted earlier this year in Turkey.
Atay, known for her Urdu-language content and boasting over 850,000 Instagram followers, shared that Maria B’s team contacted her in 2025 to coordinate and manage a location shoot in Turkey. The agreement, she explained, involved charges per outfit to cover the production logistics and shoot-related expenses.
However, despite completing the shoot, Atay claims she was only partially compensated. In a video posted on social media, she stated, “It’s been three months. They’ve wasted my time, dodged complete payment, and treated me unprofessionally.”
Allegations of Deleted Communications
To make matters worse, Atay alleged that Maria B’s team deleted prior communications from messaging platforms after her husband attempted to mediate and resolve the issue. The influencer also criticized the brand for later changing the terms, stating that payment is typically made per social media reel, not per outfit, contrary to their initial agreement.
Recurring Controversy for Maria B
This isn’t Maria B’s first brush with controversy in Turkey. In August 2024, the designer faced widespread criticism for her “Palestine Collection,” which featured politically charged designs incorporating Palestinian symbols like the keffiyeh, the watermelon motif, and the Palestinian flag.
Although intended as a gesture of solidarity, the collection was accused of commercializing a humanitarian crisis. Matters escalated when Pakistani artist Leena Ghani accused Maria B of copying a specific artwork originally created by Hacı Balina Atölye, a Turkish artist whose work had appeared on the Instagram page Palestine Quebec.
At the time, Maria B responded via Instagram, claiming the use of the design was “unintentional” and attributing the error to the fast-moving pace of digital content production.
Backlash Continues to Build
As public scrutiny increases, social media users and fashion critics alike are calling on Maria B to clarify the terms of the agreement with Atay and to address the broader issue of professionalism and accountability in influencer partnerships.
The designer has yet to issue a public statement in response to Atay’s latest accusations.
Categories: Fashion, Influencer News, Social Media, South Asian Culture, Controversies
Tags: Maria B, Turkan Atay, influencer dispute, Turkish content creator, unpaid fashion shoot, Palestine Collection, fashion plagiarism, Pakistani designer scandal
