Threads of Tradition: Rediscovering Sile Cloth - KALTBLUT Magazine

"The project, produced in collaboration with the Şile Municipality, celebrates the cultural and historical significance of Şile cloth, a traditional Turkish textile woven in the coastal town of Şile on the Black Sea. The fabric is known for its artisanal production: it is washed by hand in the sea and dried on the sand, naturally absorbing the textures and atmosphere of its environment."

"The project reinterprets the centuries-old craft within a contemporary visual and editorial context, bridging tradition and modern design sensibilities. The photographic series offers a conceptual editorial interpretation of the fabric's story. Each image connects the textile with its geographical and cultural origins, highlighting its relationship with the landscape, the sea, and local craftsmanship. The photographs were taken in various locations throughout Şile, each chosen to reflect a different aspect of the fabric's identity: its fluidity, organic texture, and quiet strength."

"By blending fashion photography and conceptual storytelling, the series transforms the material into a visual metaphor for continuity and renewal. The calm, minimalist compositions emphasize the cloth's tactile and emotional essence, reflecting the coexistence of heritage and modern aesthetics. Together, these images form a coherent editorial narrative that captures the spirit of Şile cloth-a dialogue between tradition, material, and place."

Produced in collaboration with the Şile Municipality, the project celebrates Şile cloth, a traditional Turkish textile woven in the coastal town of Şile on the Black Sea. The fabric undergoes artisanal production, washed by hand in the sea and dried on the sand, absorbing local textures and atmosphere. The craft is reinterpreted within a contemporary visual and editorial context that bridges tradition and modern design sensibilities. A photographic series ties the textile to its landscape, sea, and local craftsmanship, with images chosen throughout Şile to reflect fluidity, organic texture, and quiet strength. A seven-minute documentary film, an editorial video series, and documentary images provide comprehensive visual documentation. May Studio, founded by Ayse Cakmak Özasan and Mia Ferrari, directs the multidisciplinary visual approach.

Read at KALTBLUT Magazine