Sometimes, one can’t help but fall in love with the antiques and handmade items created by our ancestors. Whether it’s carpentering, pottery, and even knitting and weaving, there’s just something so special about holding a handmade item. This is why MITEF winner who secured the first place in the Social Entrepreneurship track “Kiliim” brings back to life the traditional method of weaving rugs, also known as ‘kilim weaving.’
Kilims are a type of carpets or rugs that are woven by hand. The founders of Kiliim, Noha El Taher and Ibrahim Shams, aim to revive and sustain the craft of kilim weaving by offering modern kilim designs to a time honored technique in Egypt.
Additionally, Kiliim is working towards restoring Fowwa’s industry, which is the birthplace of kilims in Egypt, by creating a full cycle design-sales-marketing-distribution plan for the craftsmen who are experts in weaving kilims yet lack the knowledge in the aforementioned fields, which was one of the main reasons that caused the industry to become outdated. Kiliim has increased the demand for kilims and allowed craftsmen to secure an increased monthly income as well as an opportunity to obtain savings. Consequently, this encouraged craftsmen to continue their work on the craft, and as well pass it on to the younger generation, to keep this technique alive.
Kiliim has an online shop where you can order your kilims from, and it aims to launch an online virtual simulator tool which will allow you to drag and drop your products into the images of your homes! This way, you won’t have to worry about whether the carpet matches your decor or not!
Wanna know more about Kiliim? Check out their website, and follow them on Instagram (@Kiliim_egypt) to view their magnificent products!