The wool scarves and silk headscarves in our offer are originals by a Bulgarian designer with whom Balkanova has worked extensively. Gergana Stankova from Sofia finds inspiration primarily in the rich folklore heritage of Bulgaria, and reinterprets traditional motifs from the national costumes, kilim rugs, lace and other textiles from the various ethnographic areas of Bulgaria in a fresh spirit. If you would like to learn something of the folk traditions from the mountain areas of Thrace, the Rhodopes, Pirin Macedonia and Shopluk (the home, inter alia, of the Shopska salad), or of the flatter Black Sea coast, Moesia or Dobruja, our scarves and headscarves will give you an essential introduction to Bulgarian ethnography. You may rest assured you will be one of the few to be able to decorate their necks with such beautiful pieces, as they are genuinely small-batch products and the collection of scarves and headscarves changes regularly. The scarves are knitted in Bulgaria, usually from blended material, and the wool content is of Bulgarian origin. The headscarves are not only produced in the Greek/Bulgarian borderlands – the silk is also sourced from this area.
In addition, we have also prepared for you a collection of wool socks sourced from a small family business with which Balkanova has worked since its very foundation. The manufactory is situated in the town of Kardzhali, in the Eastern Rhodopes in southeastern Bulgaria, only a stone’s throw from Greece and Turkey. As elsewhere in Bulgaria, here too the national composition of the local population is highly diverse. Apart from the Orthodox Bulgarians, there is a numerous community of Pomaks – Islamicized Bulgarians – and also Armenians, Roma and Karakachans – a Greek-speaking minority famous for their breeding of the dark, Karakachan sheep. The majority population in the Eastern Rhodopes and in Kardzhali itself are however Turks, and hence this area bears the nickname Little Turkey. Hence it is no surprise that our sock-makers are also Turks. Their socks are made of local Bulgarian wool and will keep you toasty in even the hardest winters. Their advantages include their affordability and the fact that they can be washed in automatic washing machines on the wool cycle. The wide range of socks we offer includes 100% wool without blends and 90% wool with a softening blend of polyamide and elastane, and also a selection between non-medical (with elastic reinforcement around the calf) and medical (practically without elastic) hems. You can of course choose between conservative (black, khaki, grey, dark blue) or more varied colours. One speciality is the so-called Shoshones, which you will greatly value primarily at home during the cold winter days and evenings thanks to their warm inner lining.