The Women Behind the Weave: Female Artisans and LIVANCI's Root Method

Each piece is a woman's prayer, a craftsman's patience — a line that comes up often when we talk about the Root Method, and it's not just a turn of phrase. Production in Şile is carried out almost entirely by women, continuing skills passed down within families, often across generations.

Work that predates the brand

The weaving, starching, washing, and finishing steps behind Şile Cloth existed long before LIVANCI did — this is a regional craft with its own history, and the women doing this work today are continuing something that didn't start with any single company. We see our role as bringing that work to a wider audience respectfully, not as having invented it.

Why this matters for how a piece is made

A hand-loom weaver, or someone finishing fabric by hand rather than machine, works differently than an automated production line — slower, with more direct control over the outcome, and more room for the small irregularities that give handwoven cloth its texture. That's a direct, practical reason production stays local and limited rather than scaling into mass manufacturing.

An ongoing commitment, not a one-time story

Supporting local women's employment in Şile isn't a single initiative we point to once — it's the basis of how the fabric gets made at all, every time we produce a new run. We take from nature and return to it; the same principle applies to the people doing the work, not just the material.

If you'd like to know more about this side of our production, we're glad to talk about it directly — reach out, or read more on our Women's Volunteerism page.

See where this leads: Root Method · Shop Women · Shop Men