FABRIC: SILK (BOMBYX MORI)

Fabric Name:
Handwoven silk

Origin:
Bombyx mori

Who made our fabric:
Mehmet Cetinkaya Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey

Natural history and ecology:
Located in the center of Eurasia, Uzbekistan has played a central role in history of the Great Silk roads. Master crafts men and women have practiced sericulture here since 440 A.D. and today Uzbekistan is the third largest silk exporter of silk in the world.

What makes this so special: Designer and gallery owner Mehmet Cetinkaya collaborates with studios in Uzbekistan that are dedicated to producing this handwoven Bombyx mori silk fabric. He personally dyes each warp in his Istanbul studio before sending the silk back to Uzbekistan to be handwoven into the fabric. Fascinated with natural dyes, he has created an exclusive collection of Uzbek silks sourcing dyes from a variety of plants, including indigo, pomegranate, madder, buckthorn, cochineal, camomile, walnut husks, and more.