Origins

The Beginning

Özipek was founded in 1950 in Kayseri, at a time when craftsmanship was defined not by speed, but by patience, mastery, and respect for material. From the very beginning, the house was devoted to one singular pursuit: transforming silk into enduring works of art through hand weaving.

In its early years, Özipek grew quietly, shaped by Anatolia’s deep-rooted textile traditions and the disciplined hands of master weavers. Every knot was tied by hand, every pattern guided by experience passed from one generation to the next. This was not production—it was devotion.

The first decade laid the foundation of what Özipek would become: a maison built on precision, authenticity, and an uncompromising belief in craftsmanship. Silk was not merely a material; it was a language through which time, culture, and artistry were woven together.

By the late 1950s, Özipek had already established itself as a name associated with excellence, preparing for a defining transition that would shape its destiny—Hereke.

Where Legacy Found Its Home

The Move to Hereke

In the early 1960s, Özipek made a decisive journey—one that would redefine its destiny.

From the heart of Anatolia, the atelier moved to Hereke, a name whispered in palaces and spoken with reverence across the world.

Hereke was not merely a place of production; it was a stage. A stage where silk had once adorned imperial halls, where carpets were woven not for commerce, but for history itself. To settle in Hereke was to accept a legacy measured not in years, but in centuries.

The first carpets woven there carried an unmistakable presence. Their silk shimmered with discipline and devotion, their knots spoke a language of patience and mastery. These works did not quietly enter the world—they were noticed.

They found their way into the collections of statesmen, ministers, and distinguished patrons of art, admired not only for their refinement but for the soul embedded in every square centimeter. From diplomatic residences to private salons, Özipek carpets became silent witnesses to global conversations.

What set these works apart was not scale, nor ornament alone—but love.

Each piece was woven with an intensity that bordered on devotion, guided by hands that understood silk not as material, but as responsibility. In Hereke, weaving was never routine. It was an act of reverence.

From that moment on, Özipek was no longer only an atelier.

It had become a name spoken on the world stage.

Mastery Without Precedent

The Guinness Record

In 1992, Özipek achieved what had never been done before.

By weaving 576 knots per square centimeter (24×24) entirely by hand, Özipek became the first and only Turkish silk carpet producer to enter the Guinness World Records. This was not a symbolic achievement—it was a technical declaration. A statement of absolute control over silk, time, and human precision.

Each additional knot demanded not speed, but patience. Not machinery, but discipline. At this level of density, a single misstep would compromise the entire work. Yet Özipek did not pause there.

In the years that followed, the record was not merely defended—it was surpassed.

The atelier reached 900 knots per square centimeter (30×30) and carried this level of complexity into continuous production, an unprecedented feat in the world of handwoven silk carpets.

As word spread, so did demand.

Collectors, institutions, and discerning clients from across the globe sought works that could not be replicated elsewhere. Orders multiplied. Production expanded—not in scale, but in depth. Every new commission was approached with the same devotion, the same insistence on excellence that defined the first record-breaking piece.

Today, Özipek prepares for yet another milestone:

2,500 knots per square centimeter (50×50) — a density that pushes the very limits of human craftsmanship.

What began as a technical triumph evolved into global recognition.

Özipek was no longer defined by heritage alone, but by an unrelenting pursuit of perfection.

This was not growth driven by ambition.

It was growth demanded by mastery.

A Cultural Convergence

Devrim Erbil × Özipek

At a defining moment in its journey, Özipek entered a dialogue not only with tradition, but with contemporary art.

Over twenty-five years ago, a rare and visionary collaboration was formed between Devrim Erbil, one of Turkey’s most influential and internationally recognized artists, and Özipek, a house defined by mastery of silk. It was an agreement rooted in mutual respect—between an artist whose language reshaped modern Turkish art, and an atelier capable of translating vision into permanence.

Devrim Erbil is known for a singular artistic voice. His work—defined by rhythmic lines, aerial perspectives, and poetic abstraction—captures cities, nature, and memory as living systems. Istanbul, in his hands, becomes not a place, but a pulse. Line becomes movement. Repetition becomes thought.

From this dialogue emerged eleven exceptional works.

These were not adaptations, nor decorative interpretations. Each piece was a faithful and authorized transformation of Erbil’s original artworks into handwoven silk—executed knot by knot with absolute precision. Translating Erbil’s intricate line language into textile form required extraordinary technical control, patience, and artistic sensitivity. Every square centimeter demanded unwavering focus. Every work required time measured not in months, but in devotion.

The result was a collection that exists between disciplines:

neither painting nor textile alone, but woven art of museum caliber.

This collaboration marked a new chapter for Özipek—one that extended beyond heritage into the global cultural landscape. In the years that followed, Özipek’s works found their place in palaces, diplomatic residences, and distinguished private collections across the world. Each piece was created exclusively, often commissioned for singular spaces where history, power, and culture converge.

In this new world, Özipek does not produce for volume, nor for trends.

It creates for places where permanence matters—where craftsmanship is understood as legacy.

The story of Devrim Erbil × Özipek is not one of collaboration alone.

It is the story of what becomes possible when art and mastery meet without compromise.

And it continues—quietly, precisely, and without repetition.

Devrim Erbil × Özipek

Carried Forward

A Legacy in Trusted Hands

Today, Özipek stands not only as a historic house, but as a living legacy—guided by its third-generation custodians with clarity, discipline, and deep respect for what came before.

This generation does not seek to redefine Özipek.

It seeks to protect, elevate, and extend it.

With an intimate understanding of both heritage and the contemporary world, the brand is managed with a rare balance: honoring centuries-old techniques while engaging confidently with global collectors, institutions, and cultural spaces. Growth is measured, intentional, and uncompromising—never at the expense of quality, never detached from purpose.

Özipek today operates on a scale few ateliers ever reach, yet remains grounded in the values that defined its beginning. Every decision is filtered through one question: Will this endure?

The answer is evident in the works themselves—created slowly, exclusively, and without repetition. In a world driven by immediacy, Özipek remains steadfast in patience.

This is not a brand built for seasons.

It is built for centuries.

Passed from generation to generation, carried forward with care and conviction, Özipek’s legacy continues—stronger, rarer, and more relevant with time.

What is woven today is not only silk.

It is permanence.

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