Kutnu Fabric
German for "Kutnu fabric," this is the story of a revived weaving technique from Gaziantep that had (almost) completely fallen into oblivion! It's a heritage from Ottoman times and is now, thanks to many supporters, being brought back to life!
First of all, what exactly is "Kutnu"? And why are we writing about it? The topic doesn't have much to do with our actual business, but it belongs to the city of Gaziantep all the same, just like pistachios, baklava and the Gypsy Girl of Zeugma. So it creates a connection to us, our business and our origins! That's why we consider it worth mentioning, and we're extremely proud of this product's success story.
Kutnu was already worn in Ottoman palaces back in the 16th century and remains to this day one of the most brilliant fabrics in world history. The fabric is hand-woven from silk and cotton and usually has a colorfully striped look.
Gaziantep lies on the Silk Road and was already back then a thriving trading post for merchants from all over the world. The silk transported by the caravans was combined with regional cotton, giving rise to the special fabric Kutnu.
The weaving technique is very elaborate and is still carried out by hand to this day. Some adjustments have been made to fit modern times, but without losing anything of the traditional craft. Kutnu is elegant, fine, and at the same time robust.
As part of a social responsibility project, one of the city's most successful female entrepreneurs dedicated herself to preserving this valuable cultural asset and, with the support of the city administration, built her own brand. That was about 5 years ago! Since then, Kutnu has taken the fashion world by storm and was even used by the designer brand Dior for its 2023 summer collection. And it didn't stop there: Dior was so fascinated by the history and quality of this fabric that it sent a team to Gaziantep to film a video about the fabric's origin and production. This video and other videos about Kutnu can be found in abundance on social media and are well worth watching.
Adding to Kutnu's success story, Gaziantep will soon also get its own Hand-Woven Arts Museum. We wish Kutnu, and everyone working with this fabric, continued tremendous success!
Kutnu is heritage, tradition, and now also the future! All in one….