Our Roots

The great bath at Bursa - Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1885

Culture

Turkey has been an important center for textile manufacturing for many centuries. Located at the end of The Silk Road, the country has always had access to high quality textiles and raw materials. Through the cultivation of cotton and flax as well as the production of silk, Turkey was, and still is, a leading supplier for the global market.

Cotton

Compared to other types of cotton, Turkish cotton has about 30mm longer fibers, which is much longer than any other type. This makes the cotton more robust and extremely absorbent. A special combing process and twisting of the yarn ensure the characteristic softness of the fabric. The traditional method is also superior in the processing of the yarn: the loose yet strong weave ensures that the towel can dry quickly and is therefore naturally antibacterial. Bye, bye musty smell!

Our partners only use natural cotton fibers that are grown in a water-saving and pesticide-free mannerand are harvested and processed by hand. Additionally, resource-saving and plant-based paint is used for the dyeing process.

Linen

Our linen products are made from Turkish-grown flax that isharvested and processed by hand. The flax fiber is very robust and durable in nature, especially when wet. Like cotton, linen is also very absorbent. Moisture is absorbed and released quickly.

While growing flax requires significantly less water than growing cotton, processing the flax into linen is laborious and time-consuming. In the traditional shuttle looms from our producers, further processing takes almost twice as long as cotton.

Linen is the perfect summer fabric: solid and absorbent, making it the ideal material for a beach towel.

Silk

Silk is very expensive to manufacture. It is precious and is still a luxury today. There are only a few locations left in Turkey where small family businesses can make a living from silk production. Unlike in large companies, Turkish silk farmers produce through a gentler process. After a heat treatment, the silk thread is carefully unwound from the cocoon of the silkworm. A special spinning process gives silk fibers their characteristic shine. Silk has similar properties to cotton but  even stronger. Their temperature-regulating properties and extremely soft fibers make them a skin-friendly and popular fabric for textiles even today. The proportion of silk in the total fiber volume at dokudu is <1%. Silk from organic animal husbandry has only been available worldwide for a few years and is traded in relatively very small quantities.

Craft

In the south-southwest of Turkey, only a few manufacturers remain, who master and pass on the artisanal production of textiles. Before production can even start, the loom has to be set up. This is a time consuming process and requires great care. 

For the especially curious: Weaving is the crossing of warp and weft threads at right angles. Our partners use hand-operated shuttle looms for this. By raising and lowering the warp threads with the help of at least two shafts, a shed is created into which the weft thread is inserted on the so-called “shuttle”.

Crafting the fabric by hand makes it not only unique, but also extremely robust. A fully machine-based production results in a much tighter, less breathable weave than the traditional method. In short: our dokudu fabric is airier and less prone to wear and tear thanks to the loose weaving technique used in old-style shuttle looms.

Handcraft production always means limited output. However, mass-production is not our goal. Small batch production means our collection always consists of limited edition pieces.

According to the motto “imperfection is beauty”, our textiles can show slight individual deviations, which is what gives real handcraft its character and charm.

Products

Pestemals – now for covering much more than just your bum

Classic pestemals are flat-woven cotton cloths. Traditionally, visitors of Turkish baths (hamam) used them to cover their very best. Since then, the use of pestemals has increased significantly due to the many benefits of the cloths. 

They are light, thin, and at the same time, very absorbent. Due to their flat structure, they dry extremely quickly.

Whether used as a beach, sauna or  yoga towel, or as a picnic blanket, tablecloth or throw – we love Pestemal towels because they are so versatile and beautiful.

Classic hand and bath towels (but extremely fluffy, please!)

Yes, we have them too – the classic terry towels. However, our traditionally produced towels far surpass machine-made ones in terms of softness, fluffiness and durability. The high and tight loops of the cloth ensure maximum volume and maximum durability. We guarantee: once you’ve wrapped yourself up, you won’t want to get out anytime soon.

Peskir cloths – little pestemals with just as much to love

Peskirs are the little siblings of the Pestemal. Peskirs are flat woven just like the Pestemal and therefore have the same properties – they are thin, light and dry quickly – only the cuteness factor is much higher. The cloths are suitable as serviettes, kitchen towels, placemats or tablecloths.

Bathrobes – our masterpieces

Our bathrobes are made of two pestemals with lots of love – and brainpower. We admit, finding the perfect “one size fits all” cut wasn’t easy. In cooperation with our trusted seamstress in Munich as well as our tailors in Turkey, and of course our weavers, we have created a bathrobe that we never want to take off.