RESPECT FOR THE WEAVERS, FAIR TRADE AND SUSTAINABILITY

Kirkit Rugs is an Istanbul based company that produces high quality knotted rugs and kilims that are exported all over the world. We participate regulary in international fairs such as Domotex, Hannover, Maison et Objet, Paris and The Rug Show, New York and Los Angeles. We are respected for producing some of the most innovative handmade designs to come out of Turkey today. We work with many designers worldwide and we are used to weaving custom designs with custom colours and custom sizes. We received a design award at Domotex 2020 for our hemp and goat hair “Full Moon” design.

Kirkit’s Rugs’ owner, Ahmet Diler, is highly implicated in environmental issues and fair trade business practices. Originating from Cappadocia in Central Anatolia, he saw how much his mother and grandmother being exploited as weavers, so it is important for him to treat weavers with great respect. In April 2021, he opened a pilot workshop with twenty-four weavers in Ushak, the first of its type in Turkey, where the weavers are paid three times more than the average weaver in Turkey and are provided with retirement funds and access to health care. The cost of production is higher and it’s a big investment but it doesn’t matter as we want to set an example for other producers. We need to give back to the weavers what they have given us in Anatolia for thousands of years. We hope it’ll become the standard for all producers with the aim to try to stop the decline of weaving in Turkey.

Our latest modern collections are made from recycled materials, hemp (white) and goat hair (black) to create minimalistic designs and rugs with a very different texture from what is usually made . The hemp comes from old utilitarian flatweaves used in Anatolia to dry cereals or fruit, and the goat hair from recycled nomadic black tents no longer in use. We collect these old textiles that we unravel, wash, treat, and then use them to weave new rugs. They are sustainable rugs and our clients appreciate that aspect of their production. We also recycle yarns from old damaged kilims to create new kilims with traditional designs and we produce also kilims with modern designs.

As for our traditional rugs and kilims, we collect them personally in the most remote corners of Anatolia and then meticulously restored by our own team of restorers.