The traditional Karadeniz Peştamal is a patterned fabric with multicoloured bars woven from cotton yarn, that used to be hand-loomed in almost every home in Türkiye’s Black Sea region. What used to be a heritage craft, passed down through the generations, is today only practised by around ten artisans in the region. This is why Karadeniz-native Çiğdem Kacar Selimoğlu decided to create her atelier K'ai & Vrosi.

One of the masters working at the atelier is a third-generation craftsman who has been weaving Peştamal by hand since he was ten years old. K'ai & Vrosi creates contemporary handbags for women, successfully carrying the heritage of this fabric into the future. Traditionally, women from this region of the Black Sea have wrapped the Peştamal around their heads whilst collecting hazelnuts and tea in the fields. Each colour-rich patterned fabric is a unique hand-woven design. It is used to make a range of models such as backpacks, shoulder bags and handbags with genuine leather or woven straw details.