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How It’s Made: Turkish Accessories Brand K’ai & Vrosi’s Woven Bags
Get an insight into the materials, craftsmanship and processes that go into creating the handmade products
September 12, 2024
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Contemporary Turkish accessories brand K’ai & Vrosi is dedicated to reviving the Black Sea region’s centuries-old tradition of weaving the “peshtemal” – a distinctive, colorful cloth now threatened by mass production. Once an essential garment for Black Sea women, worn while picking tea or working in gardens, the peshtemal has gradually lost its place in daily life due to the rise of machine-made textiles. K’ai & Vrosi has reimagined this cultural symbol by adapting it for modern use in their beautifully crafted leather and woven handbags.
The brand’s commitment to preserving this heritage shines through in every piece. The production process emphasizes craftsmanship and cultural preservation. Each fabric undergoes labor-intensive preparation, from winding yarns on antique creels to being woven on looms by artisans. The finished product is not only a stylish, modern accessory but also a tribute to the cultural identity of the Black Sea region. The brand’s mission is to ensure that this weaving tradition – now threatened by industrial production – lives on, transforming a once-functional garment into timeless, heirloom-quality handbags that reflect the region’s rich heritage.
A peshtemal (or peştamal) is a traditional handwoven cloth from Turkey, particularly associated with the Black Sea region. It is characterized by its lightweight, absorbent, and durable qualities, originally used as a towel or garment in Turkish baths (hammams), but also worn by women for everyday tasks such as picking tea or working in gardens. The cloth is distinguished by vibrant patterns, typically featuring colors like red, yellow, black, and white, and holds cultural significance as a symbol of Black Sea heritage. For K’ai & Vrosi designs, 100% handwoven peshtemal is paired with premium leather to create a unique fusion of tradition and contemporary fashion.
Master artisans working on wooden looms – some of which are over a century old– create each peshtemal using threads dyed with the traditional ikat technique. This meticulous process involves hand-tying and dyeing thousands of meters of thread in stages, ensuring the distinctive red, yellow, black, and white colors remain vibrant.
Yarn preparation: Traditionally woven with hemp, silk, or cotton threads, the yarns are now mostly cotton. The threads are wound onto a creel (a rotating skeleton system) to prepare them for weaving. The yarn must be of high quality to ensure a smooth, flawless texture.
Dyeing with ikat technique: The yarns are dyed using the ikat method, which involves tying sections of the yarn to resist dye, creating patterns once the threads are woven. This process is repeated in stages, from the darkest to the lightest colors, to achieve vibrant, multi-colored threads.
Weaving: After the yarns are dyed, they are placed on a handloom, often a wooden loom operated by skilled artisans. Each thread is carefully passed through the loom’s comb, a process known as taharlama. Thousands of yarns are tied one by one to the loom before weaving begins, producing the intricate, colorful patterns that define a peshtemal.
Finishing: Once woven, the cloth is inspected for quality and finished by hand, ensuring it retains the artisanal craftsmanship and cultural significance that have been passed down for generations.
Despite the rise of machine-made textiles, authentic peshtemal are still woven by hand on traditional looms. They are mostly produced at the homes of artisans who have been doing so for centuries and are still keeping the art form alive. K’ai & Vrosi has also participated in programs that encourage learning the traditional skills and support local production.
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