Best Of Modern Design And Ancient Artisanal Craft

Gaziantep, a standard Turkish metropolis close to the Syrian border, may appear an unlikely base for a wildly profitable up to date vogue model. However this fascinating place (additionally the world’s pistachio capital) has all the time been an necessary business heart. It was on the historic 4,000 mile Silk Street, the important commerce route that linked the Western world with Asia. At present, Gaziantep is dwelling to Kutnia, a novel life-style model that creates attractive womenswear and homewares. Gaziantep-born founder Jülide Konukoğlu wished to protect the dying artisanal weaving methodology that produces Kutnu, the prized silk and cotton cloth distinctive to Gaziantep. By cleverly adapting this conventional cloth for contemporary makes use of, the Kutnia model has turn out to be a roaring success.

Launched in 2018, with a handful of staff and a small manufacturing workshop, Kutnia has achieved outstanding progress in a brief time period. The corporate now has over 100 staff and has skilled an outstanding 70% progress in gross sales. The model has 11 shops, together with two opening this April within the resort city of Bodrum and is out there on-line globally by way of their very own and associate web sites, together with within the UK and US. The weavers of the Kutnu cloth have all the time been and nonetheless are males, as are the younger apprentices however Kutnia’s senior workforce and all of the designers are Turkish girls, an encouraging reality in a rustic that has turn out to be more and more conservative below President Tayyip Erdogan.

The heritage artisanal woven cloth of Gaziantep was as soon as often known as “royal cloth” because it was prized by the Ottoman Court docket and dates again to the Sixteenth-century. It was as soon as a thriving commerce with hundreds of hand looms producing Kutnu cloth. Woven readily available looms and dyed utilizing a extremely specialist course of, the material had virtually died out when Kutnia introduced it again from the brink 5 years in the past. Typical Kutnu cloth is striped, made up of a vertical silk warp and horizontal cotton weft. The brand new model was created to make use of sustainable manufacturing strategies, with an emphasis on timeless luxurious, slightly than the quick vogue Turkey is usually related to. Producing the hand-woven and dyed materials for the Kutnia model is very specialist and regardless of some modernisation within the Kutnia manufacturing facility, nonetheless very labor intensive. Every weaver produces solely 14 meters of Kutnu cloth every day. And it takes an apprentice a mean of six months to be taught simply one of many many duties concerned within the weaving course of.

Kutnia is changing into immediately recognisable in the identical method Scotland’s Harris Tweed or Italy’s Missoni are rooted in a specific cloth and extremely prized for high quality. The intention is to protect, promote and safe the way forward for Kutnu as an internationally necessary cloth, full with its distinctive look and artisanal methodology of weaving and manufacturing. Every Kutnia cloth is woven by Kutnu masters in Gaziantep and bears its grasp’s signature.

Kutnia goals to be each subtle and enjoyable, with a mixture of joyful colours. The model’s ethos combines three parts: bringing the previous into the current, connecting east and west and making a significant social and sustainability mission. The 2 feminine designers, Gunseli Turkay and Selen Sahin, have labored with Kutnu consultants to develop an improved and sustainable Kutnu cloth that washes effectively and is long-lasting. The model produces two seasonal collections annually, together with able to put on collections for ladies, textiles for the house and a brand new Marine (resort) line launched in 2021. Key items embody attractive silk blouses and clothes and skirts and trousers that function the Kutnu silk and cotton striped cloth.

The designers take inspiration from vibrant Gaziantep with its wide selection of crafts discovered within the historical bazar, together with enamel, textiles, leather-based and metallic work. Additionally necessary from a design perspective is Gaziantep’s Zeugma Museum, the world’s largest mosaic museum which homes hundreds of Roman mosaics. Every season there’s a “Zeugma” assortment with motifs and designs taken from the mosaics.

Kutnia is a outstanding Turkish firm, an incredible business success and instrumental in saving the traditional cloth Kutnu. The model seems to be attaining its objective of changing into well-known in Turkey, it’s gaining followers in western Europe and little question has its eye on the Asian and North American markets within the not too distant future.