A
KILIM STRIPE
Flat bands of repeating geometry, the rhythm of the loom. Medallions, borders and signs laid out row by row.
STORY / KAF KEF STUDIO / HANDCRAFTED IN VIENNA
Trace of culture, Your own path.
Old textiles carry old signs. We upcycle them into appliqués on heavyweight streetwear, so a pattern once woven for a home now walks through the city.
READ THE STORY
ANOTHER LIFE
Every material
had a life
before us.
Before it reached the studio, this cloth was something else: a cushion cover, a divan throw, the last metre of a roll, a page in a sample book in Istanbul’s old textile quarter. Kilim stripes, chenille jacquards, woven borders heavy with colour.
Every textile on a KAF KEF piece is upcycled. We collect these materials piece by piece, cut out the fragment worth carrying forward and give it a new identity as an appliqué, sewn onto a hoodie, a pullover or a tee. Nothing is printed and nothing new is woven for us. The texture you feel is the original weave.
THE SIGNS
The patterns
are a language.
The figures in Anatolian weaving were never just decoration. Each sign carried a wish, a warning or a blessing, passed from hand to hand and loom to loom for generations. We keep them whole, so the message still reads.
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01
ELİBELİNDE
Hands on hips. Motherhood, fertility and the strength of women; blessing, abundance and happiness.
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02
KOÇBOYNUZU
The ram's horn. Power, courage, heroism and masculinity.
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03
BEREKET
Abundance. Plenty on the table, a full and fertile home, endless happiness.
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04
İNSAN
The human figure. Work, the creative mind and hope for what is coming.
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05
SAÇBAĞİ
The hair tie. A wish to marry; birth and fertility.
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06
KÜPE
The earring. A young woman telling her family she wishes to marry.
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07
BUKAĞİ
The hobble. Love, union and a family that stays together.
-
08
SU YOLU
The water path. Rebirth, renewal and life that keeps flowing.
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09
PITRAK
The burdock. An amulet against harm, and a sign of plenty.
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10
EL, PARMAK, TARAK
Hand, finger, comb. Creative power; the human hand at work.
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11
MUSKA / NAZARLIK
The amulet. A triangle charm carried close to keep the evil eye away.
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12
GÖZ
The eye. Clear sight, and protection against bad intent.
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13
YILAN
The snake. Shedding its skin, it stands for immortality and life force.
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14
EJDER
The dragon. Guardian of treasure and secrets, master of air and water; eternal life.
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15
HAYAT AĞACI
The tree of life. Growth towards the sky; earth, sky and heaven in one.
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16
AKREP
The scorpion. Woven so its sting stays away; protection from harm.
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17
KURT AĞZI / KURT İZİ
The wolf's mouth and paw print. Protection, courage and the wolf as a sign of light.
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18
DAMGA / İM
The tamga. A family's mark: identity, lineage and continuity.
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19
KUŞ
The bird. Love, longing, the soul and a sacred messenger.
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20
YILDIZ
The star. Happiness, luck and a light to walk by.
Meanings shift from region to region and weaver to weaver. These are the most common readings of Anatolian kilim and carpet motifs.
THE FABRICS
Four ways
a story is woven.
Different looms, different centuries, the same instinct: say something with pattern. These are the families we cut from.
A
B
CHENILLE JACQUARD
A soft, raised pile that holds colour deep. Pattern you can feel with your fingertips.
C
BORDER & MEDALLION
Stepped diamonds held between rows of stars. The classic Anatolian layout: a centre that protects, borders that hold it.
D
CROSS & STAR
Great crosses framed by rows of star signs. Bold lines that meet at the centre, the loom at its most graphic.
SEWN INTO THE STREET
The base repeats.
The fragment
never does.
Heavyweight black cotton is our constant. The upcycled appliqué is the variable: where it sits, how it is cut, which sign lands on your shoulder. Every appliqué is cut and sewn on in our Vienna studio, some of it stitched entirely by hand, so no two pieces are alike.
Culture lives,
the street speaks.
