FAQ
Company
It's a shortened version of the Turkish word, keyif. There's no direct translation for keyif, but loosely translated it means enjoyment. It can be a noun, adjective and verb for when you are good vibing. Keyif can be sitting on a bench watching the ships roll in, drinking tea with friends, or picnicking under a shaded tree. We want you to enjoy your towels while you make your own keyif, and tag us when you do to inspire our community of users with #mykeyf Oh, and it's pronounced with a long a, like KAY-f.
Our founder grew up around Turkish kilims, which are flatwoven rugs, and her favorite shape was always the eight-pointed star – she would look out for and spot them in every rug she could. Turns out, it's a popular motif in kilim weaving, and means happiness – fitting, since it is something we hope you experience while using our products!
We celebrate authentic craftsmanship by working with family run ateliers and cooperatives who do our weaving for us in Turkish villages. These families are at least third generation weavers.
The hand tied fringing, embroidering and sewing of dresses are done by women in said villages giving them and their families a reliable source of income.
The embroidery on the towels are done at a female owned and operated workshop, girl power!
The tote bag that comes with each clothing order is made by women employed through a United Nations Development Programme in Southeastern Turkey, empowering women in disadvantaged areas. Studies show that keeping women employed is good for global economies, and by closing the pay and employment gap, we could create up to $17 trillion in value – that's A LOT and we plan on contributing our tiny portion towards that!
We were founded on the principle of doing good. It's at the core of why we started keyf – both to afford employment to those in Turkey but also to give back domestically.
keyf is proud to donate a portion of each and every sale to Room to Grow. This wonderful organization is focused on ensuring babies born into poverty have everything they need to learn, grow and succeed in life. After the birth of our founder's first child, she felt so fortunate and hopes to help families via keyf who need it.
Orders
Please E-Mail hello@keyf.co immediately.
If it's a gift, indicate so in the Notes section and we'll include a gift note and gift receipt – just tell us what to write!
Each of our towels already come in a cool (we think!) reusable zippered pouch and our clothing orders come in handmade tote bags.
Shipping & Returns
Give us 1-2 days to process the order. During checkout, you select the shipping speed and they will ship from NYC!
At checkout, choose Next Day AM delivery and be sure to place the order before 10am EST so we get it out same day. To double check, you can also E-Mail us: hello@keyf.co
We want to make international orders as easy as possible, so we calculate the cost of shipping, taxes and duties upfront to make sure you have no additional fees when the order arrives. That said, international shipping is never as reliable as we wish it was so it may get caught up.
We're sorry the keyf order didn’t work out for you! We understand sometimes you just have to try it on and feel it! As long as the product is unused, please send it and its original packaging back to us within 14 days of receiving it and we'll issue you a refund minus the cost of shipping. E-Mail hello@keyf.co to start the process.
We want you to love what you have, so E-Mail hello@keyf.co with the order number on the gift receipt so we can look it up easily. Once you send it back to us and we process it, we'll E-Mail you and issue you store credit!
Products
Turkey is the birthplace of towels – don't believe us? Wikipedia it! They have been perfecting the towel for centuries, but why mess with a classic? The OG, aka the pestemal (aka Turkish towel), is flatwoven and stays super light while being very absorbent – perfect for use in the hammams (Turkish baths), for which they were originally intended for.
What can't you do with them is a better question?! We encourage our community to tag pictures of when you use your towels with #mykeyf on social media, so we get more ideas!
In the meantime, popular uses are: bath towels (great for when you have a full house of guests!), tablecloths, picnic blankets, scarfs, blankets on chilly planes, yoga towels, baby swaddle, sofa throw, sarong, beach dress, hair towel.....
We always keep a couple in the trunk of our car for unexpected adventures and encourage you to do the same!
Turkish cotton is a premium cotton that has extra long fibers. These longer fibers mean stronger and smoother cotton threads, which gives us the right balance between absorbency (very!) and drying (quickly!). Products made with Turkish cotton also tend to get softer and more absorbent with each wash and will last for years. Turkish cotton is generally better than Egyptian cotton for towels, since they dry quicker and no one wants musty towels!
Some of our products are indeed a Bamboo/Turkish Cotton blend. We like using bamboo in some of our products, because it gives it a naturally softer feel. Bamboo is a sustainable choice because it grows quickly and doesn't require pesticides. It's also highly absorbent making it a natural fit at the beach or in the bathroom. Fun fact about bamboo: it is a naturally anti-bacterial fabric.
Each product page has detailed information on the specific piece. We want you to be able to use keyf goods and not worry too much about sizing. We love the idea of you going on vacation with friends and family and to be able to share and swap the beachwear. Less packing too if you get to share!
Care
We recommend a cold, gentle wash with similar colors. Avoid fabric softeners since they contain a silicon based product which will make the towels hydrophobic, a.k.a. water repellent.
Line drying is best for both the product and environment, but when you can't air dry, a low heat gentle tumble with no drying sheets. Drying the towels may cause some shrinking as well.
We don't recommend washing or drying with other clothing that may have zippers or anything else that may snag the fabric.
Remember, Turkish towels will get softer and more absorbent with each wash, so happy washing!
These are all loomed products, so pulling is bound to happen. First tug at the towel around the pull, often you can fix it by finding the right thread line to get it back in line. If that doesn’t work, cut it with a scissor – don't pull it out.
We sadly have not mastered the art of tying the fringe like our ladies do. However, you can try at home – divide the undone portion into two equal pieces and twist each portion clockwise. Then twist those two pieces counterclockwise and tie at the end. It helps if your hands are wet. IF that didn't work, just braid or knot it in the middle to keep it looking neat.
