Qirqit Studio x High Pile Designs Partnership Announcement

Meet the Maker: Damla Saydam of Qirqit Studio

We couldn’t be more excited to announce our very first official partnership with Qirqit Studio, a woman-owned weaving studio based in İzmir, Türkiye.

Qirqit Studio was founded by Damla Saydam, a Türkiye native born in Denizli. Raised in a region rich with weaving tradition, Damla grew up surrounded by the craft and has carried a love for it with her since childhood.

We first connected with Damla through an Instagram recommendation in early 2024, and we’ve been quietly working behind the scenes on this collaboration ever since. It's been a joy to co-create this vision with her. We’re thrilled to finally bring it to life and support her and the women weavers she partners with.

Damla works closely with a local women’s cooperative in İzmir, which helps transition women out of agricultural field labor by training and employing them as weavers. This work not only provides a more sustainable income, but also preserves a powerful cultural tradition. When we started High Pile Designs, one of our biggest dreams was to collaborate with women's groups in Türkiye. So this truly feels like a full-circle moment.

We recently had the opportunity to virtually sit down with Damla to learn more about her background, her passion for rugs, and the incredible women she works with.

Can you share your background / where you grew up in Türkiye and how that influenced the work you do now?

I was born in Denizli and grew up in a small town. I went to Istanbul to study at the university. I lived in Istanbul for 17 years, but decided to move to the countryside because I wanted to live a slow and quiet life. Now I live in a small village in Bergama, İzmir. And the region is very similar to where I grew up. I love being in nature and interacting with the local communities.

That’s how my story for Qirqit Studio began. Actually, now I see that it began years ago. My aunts used to weave. I have some memories from my childhood. And my mum told me that my nanny was an old woman and she used to weave while I was sleeping. Also, my mothers’s aunt and grandmother were weavers. So, everything came together somehow. I’ve been interested in kilims for years and I think my childhood and where I grew up have a lot of impact on that. 

How did you get into selling rugs?

I always loved handwoven rugs. I used to visit rug stores and always felt inspired by this culture. So, one day I decided to learn how to weave as a hobby. And as I learned more about this culture I was mesmerized and decided that I had to do something about it. Because it’s one of the ancient crafts which is about to die. I was so sad to see this. There are many traders and shops selling those rugs but there is little effort to preserve this culture. This is how Qirqit studio was born.

Why do you love Turkish rugs?

First I’m impressed by the expertise and talent of the women who make these rugs. When I look at a rug I can see the effort, time and artistry in this piece. Each of them is like a piece of art to me. I love the colors and the story each rug has. 

What can you tell us about the women you work with? 

I collaborate with a group of women who live in a small village. Most of them were born there and have never left the village. They’re married and have children. The age average is around 40. Their favorite rugs to make are Tulu rugs, which are also my favorite type of rugs. T hey’re raw and soft and not perfect. You can tell that it’s handmade. The things that look like a flaw make them beautiful. 

The most challenging part of their is the money they’re paid. And they can't weave for themselves anymore. In some villages they may still weave for their children, but now it's mostly done as a job to earn money. 

Weaving in the winter is the most popular time of year for the women to weave because in the summer they're working in the fields harvesting crops. 

⁠What’s the most difficult part of being in this industry? 

The most difficult part is the current circumstances all around the world. In Türkiye it’s very difficult because most people are struggling to afford their daily living. There’s a minority of people who have the budget to buy a handwoven rug. And being a small business makes everything harder for me.

What is something you wish people knew about handmade rugs that they often overlook? 

I think the effort and time required to make a rug. This is why they’re so precious. But this is usually overlooked and the price is compared with a machine made rugs.

A Collaboration Woven with Purpose

We’ve co-created a custom Qirqit Studio x High Pile Designs rug, available in any size, featuring their signature floral motif pattern, which you can view here.

This is just the beginning. We plan to offer even more styles and patterns in the future as this partnership grows.

A portion of each rug sale will go directly back to Damla and the women’s weaving cooperative she partners with. Purchasing one of these pieces doesn’t just mean you’re supporting these women. It also means you’re helping to preserve a centuries-old art form that’s at risk of disappearing.

Love & Rugs, 

Carly and Jessie