Three people met once in the streets of Kalamaja and noticed that they were all wearing similar woollen signature scarfs by Estonian designer Mare Klepman. One scarf was big, the other one was a medium size and one was small. Then a woman passed by wearing a coat by the same designer. “It’s like a sort of national holiday and we wearing the national outfits,” they smiled.
So it is, the products of Kelpman Textile are known also as the national clothes of Kalamaja – the popular neighborhood in Tallinn. What is there to wonder as the items by Mare Kelpman tend to become extremely popular and the reason is not only because everything is so pretty and warm. All the textiles are 100% natural, in high-quality and sustainable. “Many people can’t stand artificial materials because of allergies or other reasons. Woollen is in every way a fair and ethic material,” says Mare.
One of the missions of her studio is the maintenance of disappearing crafts. As it is no longer possible to knit industrially in Estonia, the job is done in Finland, Latvia and Lithuania. No chemicals are used! The last touch is given here, in the stodio located in Creative City, just some hundered meters from the shop. The textile that remains from the products is wittily used in new, smaller scale products – headbands made from linen, wool is used for small bags, vests or children’s scarfs. The batches of each products are small. A coat has only three or four relatives, a scarf maybe ten.
If the cold season (which can last here in Estonia almost throught the year) favors the opportunity to wrap yourself in the most warmest scarves, the summer greets with totally different treats. High-quality linen is used to make dresses and other items suitable for the sun. So it’s more than possible to enjoy the tricky weather all around the year with Kelpman Textile.
