Sfifa weaving

The Art of Sfifa

The braid that defines a kaftan.

Every kaftan has its own sfifa: a hand-braided trim made exclusively for it, with threads selected color by color to match the fabric perfectly.

 

 

It all begins before the first stitch. The fabric is laid out on the workshop table, and it is the fabric that decides. Facing it, the maâlma lays out her spools: silk, gold thread, metallic thread. She brings one closer, sets it aside, and tries another. A thread that is too bright overwhelms the fabric; one that is too similar disappears. The right thread reveals the color of the kaftan without ever covering it.

Then comes the braiding. The sfifa is made centimeter by centimeter, by hand, with a steady motion passed down from generation to generation. It takes hours to create these few meters of trim that will run along the neckline and opening of the kaftan—and, once sewn on, will seem as though they have always been there.

How can you recognize it? Look at the colors. A sfifa braided from several threads, in shades that complement the fabric, is the signature of a bespoke kaftan: it exists nowhere else because it was designed for this piece and no other. A uniform sfifa, bought by the meter, on the other hand, reveals mass production.

On our kaftans, the sfifa is always braided in the workshop after the fabric has been chosen. It is the first thing our customers touch—and often the first thing they are asked at a wedding: “Where is it from?”

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