The Kismet Pattern

Have you ever felt that you are just meant to do something? It is as if you have a mission to accomplish or challenge waiting for you but you do not really know what it is or when it might happen. It can be both frustrating and exciting at the same time. It is like a voice inside you speaking a language you still do not know.

As a little girl I could listen for hours while my father told stories of how it was to grow up in Istanbul in the 1950s and 1960s.

His memories painted images in my mind, where every sound, smell and flavor of the busy city came to life. During my childhood these stories inspired me to make drawings and patterns vibrant with life, colors and shapes. I remember it could make me completely loose track of time. The hours just flew by.

During my teenage years, I forgot about my father’s stories. I was busy being a teenager finding my way through life – often on a bicycle just outside Amsterdam.

Then one day – 20 years old – as a student at the Vogue Academy, I felt this strong inspiration come over me. It was a familiar feeling, like a silent wave – but from where? Through my studies, I learnt how to design inspiration boards and patterns. A quiet voice called for me in the distance.

Not knowing what this meant, I traveled to the Indonesian tropical paradise, Bali. Again a shower of colors and patterns rained over me. I felt alive! All senses alert. My eyes wide open. One word on my mind: Patterns!

A few years passed.

«Alexia! I want to show you something. Come here, please!»

It was my father calling me. I walked into the dining room. From an old drawer he took out a bundle wrapped in old silk paper. He gently unwrapped it. And held it up for me to see.

It was a big shawl made in Turkey. It had strong colors and a beautiful pattern – and felt heavy in my hands.

«This pattern is just like one of the drawings in your great grandmother Olympia’s old pattern-book», said my father.

There and then I knew it: This is what I am supposed to do – design patterns! … Just like my great grandmother.

I took the big shawl out of my father’s hands, studied its pattern and color. I found out that it is an old Ottoman tribal pattern, often used on beautiful belts, traditional folk costumes, especially for men. Then I modernized it, used some of the traditional colors – and turned it into a unique pillow pattern with a unique story. It became the start of «The Heritage Collection».

In old Arabic, Persian and Turkish the word kismet means ‘destiny’.

That makes perfect sense to me now.

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