Exhibitors

RESPECT FOR WEAVERS, FAIR TRADE AND SUSTAINABILITY Kirkit Rugs is an Istanbul-based company that produces high-quality knotted carpets and rugs that are exported around the world. We regularly participate 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 coming out of Turkey today. We work with many designers around the world and are accustomed to weaving custom designs with custom colors and custom sizes. We received a design award at Domotex 2020 with our hemp and goat hair Full Moon design. Ahmet Diler, owner of Kirkit s Rugs, is very knowledgeable about environmental issues and fair trade business practices. Hailing from Cappadocia in Central Anatolia, Ahmet Diler saw how exploited his mother and grandmother were as weavers, so it is important for him to treat weavers with great respect. In April 2021, it opened a pilot workshop with twenty-four weavers in Uşak, the first of its kind in Turkey; weavers here are paid three times more than the average weaver in Turkey and have access to retirement funds and healthcare. The production cost is higher and it is a big investment, but it does not matter as we want to set an example for other manufacturers. We need to give back to the weavers what they have given us in Anatolia for thousands of years. We hope this will become the standard for all manufacturers in order 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 minimalist designs and rugs with a very different texture to those normally made. Hemp comes from ancient utilitarian plain weaves used in Anatolia to dry grains or fruits, and from recycled nomadic black tents, where goat hair is no longer used. We dismantle these old textiles, wash them, process them and use them to weave new carpets. These are sustainable carpets and our customers appreciate this aspect of their production. We also create new rugs with traditional designs by recycling threads from old damaged rugs, and we also produce rugs with modern designs. Traditional As for our carpets and rugs, we personally collect them from the remotest corners of Anatolia and then meticulously restore them by our own team of restorers.