The Anatolian Craft shoe is almost too beautiful to wear. Handcrafted from historic kutnu fabric–once worn by the Ottoman sultans–and hand embroidered by female artisans in Anatolia in a visual whirl of fauna and flora, the slippers are true heirlooms that somehow work with every outfit. It’s no wonder that Bilge Can founded the brand in 2016, with her daughter Begüm Can Öcal, because of a pair of heritage slippers that belonged to her own mother. The aim was to revive the ideal of heirlooms, products meant to last, worthy of being passed down from one generation to the next. And so, no two Anatolian Craft shoes are the same, because of an intricate production process, which has become rare in a time where fast fashion often reigns.
Every material used is locally and ethically sourced, including the soles, insoles and lining made from genuine leather. The embroidered surfaces are either composed of velvet or kutnu, a natural blend of cotton and silk, which is produced by artisans in Gaziantep through a meticulous weaving process that hasn’t changed through the centuries. After a design has been drafted by Bilge Can herself, an embroidery prototype is created with a master artisan for testing, with necessary adjustments made in the process. Once a shoe has been ordered, the process of hand-crafting and hand-embroidering is set into motion with every step completed by different artisans, so that every product requires around seven to twenty working days to complete, depending on the complexity of the design. When the final product emerges, what ends up striking the eye first is the minute embroidery, and it is here that Anatolian Craft’s story evolves from sustainable to empowering.
Every embroidered visual story, the design centrifuge of every Anatolian Craft slipper, is created by women in Anatolia with a talent for hand-embroidery who have achieved economic independence outside the home through employment. With a motto which states that, “a woman can transform a family, and a family can transform a community,” the mother daughter team currently partner with around 33 women in Eastern Anatolia, providing them with good wages and allowing them to work from home and gain strength by being in charge of their own lives and families. The aim is to grow, to support many more communities in all of Turkey’s 81 cities.
Through the beautiful confluence of traditional Turkish hand embroidery and modern design, the brand has also helped prevent the extinction of traditional handicrafts, ensuring its transfer to future generations. An important part of Turkish cultural heritage, hand-embroidery, like a lot of traditional handicrafts, is facing an uncertain future with a lack of economic incentive and disinterest among the younger generations of learning and continuing the often-arduous form of handcraftsmanship. By making embroidery relevant once more through modern designs sold as a couture item in Turkey as well as internationally, motivation has been rekindled, not only for women who are already skilled in this craft, but for future generations to learn and become just as independent through their skills.
In Istanbul’s Koşuyolu neighborhood on the Asian side, on a quiet residential side-street far away from the touristic attractions and humdrum of a giant city, Bilge Can often greets guests in person in the Anatolian Craft showroom. The elegant yet sincere space, is, after all, on the ground floor of her own home, with her personal apartment upstairs. Her mother’s antique furnishings and the modern displays of the brand’s shoes and accessories strike a harmonious balance, much like Istanbul itself, where the past and present continuously live side by side. Her creations exude her life and this city, a precious object to be worn for many years, made with care and expertise, diligently and with skill, carrying with it a bit of history, a bit of modernity and a lot of creativity and love.
Feride Yalav-Heckeroth 