Product Review: An Aker Turkish Silk Scarf from Modefa

Asalaamu alaikum and Hello dear readers.

When Modefa contacted me to review them for my blog I was really excited because I had been eyeing some items on their website at the time and was also giddy happy/slightly in shock at finding a place IN the USA which sold the authentic, big house Turkish silk scarves like Aker and Armine (dum, dum, dum…2 biggies in the silk scarf world!) along with those delectable oya scarves which I always love for hot summer days. My Modefa was started by an American Muslima and her Turkish husband as a way to bring these Turkish goodies to the US market (and abroad ofcourse!).

Anyway, They sent me such a wonderful scarf from Aker. Its the Aydeniz silk scarf. They are located in Texas and I am on the East Coast of the US and I received my gorgeous scarf in 3 days via priority mail. It came well padded up and the Aker scarves all come in these very nice black envelopes which add to their posh-ness. *smile*.

Here is the scarf… I LOVE the very unique seashell print. The print just screams me…its very unexpected and so summery!  I will indeed rock this one even on a cold, hard winters day…because we all need a little summer when its 15degrees and cloudy!

My husband tried his darndest to get good pictures outside but the scarf is just so glossy that it would blur on the camera. The inside shots are better but a bit darker. The scarf is so bright and glossy its gorgeous…I hope these pictures represent it well!

Onto my review…

Aker scarves are renowned in Turkey and abroad for the extreme high quality of their silk fabric, prints and method of making them. They are produced in Turkey by a Muslim owned and run company. Yes, they cost a pretty penny (by US standards) but you are paying for an extra-ordinarily high quality item which will undoubtedly give you many years-maybe even decades of enjoyment. Mash’Allah. Aker scarves, along with all other silk scarves produced in Turkey have hand-stitched and rolled edging which ensures they have some weight, drape and durability when worn. To increase their longevity, Aker treats all their silk scarves to be stain resistant…yes even to tea, water, vinegar and oil!

(ignore the weird music! LOL)

My thoughts; When the scarf arrived and I took the scarf out of its container and I instantly noticed that it had such a fresh, light aroma. I had been told by the sister who runs My Modefa that Aker also scents all their silk scarves with a signature scent which is very light yet discernible when worn. Its not a floral scent or anything noticeable by anyone else, but its, I don’t know how to explain…so fresh and light. Like laundry dried in the sunshine or something. It just adds a nice little “extra”. The scarf is the standard 36 by 36inches, this may seem small but there are ways to wear it so there is chest and shoulder coverage.

Now, my previous experiences with silk scarves from Turkey are limited to the 2 Karaca scarves purchased from a Turkish online store. I think they are very nice and worth the price but I always found them difficult to put on as they are a bit thinner and more..floppy. I always had to spray them with hairspray to stiffen the front to get the firm look I like, plus I would need like 4 pins just to keep it secure and in place, hence I generally only wore them for special occasions when I had the *time* to put into fiddling with them for 20minutes! I was quite pleasantly surprised when I was able to achieve my preferred scarf style with this scarf in like just a minute or two. This scarf feels a bit thicker and “firmer” to the touch than the Karaca scarves I own and instantly took the shape I wanted without 4 pins (only 1 needed under the chin and 1 at the very top to keep the scarf in place) and tons of hairspray to keep it from getting floppy! That fact alone makes me think these are really worth the price as I can see myself wearing this one more…not only is the print unique and unexpected but the scarf inself is more easily wearable!

The scarf itself is almost weightless on the head…thats one aspect about the Turkish scarves and especially the silk ones hich I enjoy –  the sense of weightlessness they have…like if you wear a typical polyester or cotton scarf you can kind of “feel it”…but these ones are just so much more airier and lighter. In summer they are real boon as they allow your scalp to breath better with more airflow particularly If you wear them with just a stretchy headband under. Also silk is renowned as being good for hair which is prone to breakage and tangles and is very well suited to both fine and thick hair alike.  So again…more bang of the buck! mash’Allah.

Now, since I like to include an interview of the company whose item I am reviewing…I shall include mine with sister Tara who is the brain and heart behind Modefa.

2) How did you decide to specialize in Turkish products? How has the reception been to these items and your company in your area and across and US and abroad?

My husband is Turkish, and so he has a lot of knowledge of Turkish products; in addition, my own experience with Turkish textiles is that they are very high quality. However, not many people are familiar with Turkish products here in the U.S. and we thought this was a good niche for us to try and fill. Though we initially decided on selling Turkish silk scarves, that grew to include oya, prayer rugs, handmade house socks, and other products and gifts unique to Turkey.

3) What are some common questions you’ve gotten about the Turkish scarves and especially the Turkish silk scarves? Who does Modefa cater too?

Actually, most of the questions we get are not about our scarves at all, but about our name! Many people wonder how “Modefa” is pronounced. And it’s simpler than some would think; a three-syllable word pronounced like it is spelled: mow-def-a (Mow as in ‘mow the lawn’, def as in ‘definition’).

Most of the questions we get about our silk scarves are about the brand. A lot of people here have never heard of the Armine and Aker brands, which are actually huge brand names in Turkey. We have found it is important to educate people on the quality of these brands and to offer a good return policy so people can feel comfortable trusting in these brands as we do. Of course, there are some who are familiar with them and have been very excited to see their much-loved scarves available here in the U.S. Turkish women have especially been excited to see them, because often they have to wait until a trip back to Turkey to stock up on these scarves.

Locally, our biggest customers are the Turkish women here. Earlier this year we attended the Noruz Festival at the Turkish Cultural Center in Houston, the Turkish Festival at the Dallas Turkish Cultural Center, and the Dallas International Festival. The Turkish women who met us at these festivals were excited to see their favorite scarves. Online however, we have seen a wide interest in these scarves, including Muslim Americans from many different backgrounds.

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Along with these wonderful silk scarves, Modefa also carries the summery Oya scarves which are traditional to Turkey. Oya scarves (aka Tulbent) are the light, cotton squares which traditionally  women wore at home and in the summer. I have a few myself which were gifted by sister friends before leaving the US for Turkey and I treasure them as they are indeed beyond comfortable. The cool thing about them is they have entirely hand-done crochet along all edges, some are quite ornate and labor intensive. The more ornate oya are obviously more expensive but they are a unique scarf for summer and so its worth it having 1 or 2 on hand. Generally they are hard to get outside of Turkey so the fact they carry them, is a boon!

Modefa also carries shaylahs called Shal and polyester scarves from Turkey along with assorted gift items and those comfy crochet house socks which Turks favor in winter (again, up there on the comfort scale!) all of which are quite affordable so even if you cant afford a silk scarf you can still indulge your desire for some Turkish style through a Oya or Polyester scarf.

Overall I am loving this scarf! Jazakh’Allah’Khair  Modefa for giving me the opportunity to review this fine scarf.