• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
GO TO EXPAT LIVING SINGAPORE
GET OUR NEWSLETTER

Expat Living Hong Kong HomepageExpat Living Hong Kong

Moving to Hong Kong and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Hong Kong.

Menu
  • Living In Hong Kong
      • Living Here
      • Where To Live
      • Schools
      • For Guys
        • Traditional festivals in Hong Kong - Dragon Boat FestivalTraditional Festivals & Events in HK
        • Junk boat rental and catering companies in Hong Kong - Charter JunksA guide to junk companies & caterers
        • 5 Reasons to Use a VPN in HK
        • South Lantau - moving to Hong KongGuide to Pui O Village, South Lantau
      • View all
    Close
  • Things To Do
      • Things To Do
      • What’s On/Calendar
      • Competitions & Offers
        • Public swimming pools in Hong Kong - Tung ChungBest public pools for families
        • Traditional festivals in Hong Kong - Dragon Boat FestivalTraditional Festivals & Events in HK
        • Top beaches in Hong Kong - Stanley BeachTop 35 Best Things To Do In Hong Kong This Weekend
        • What to watch this month – Netflix & more!
      • View all
    Close
  • Kids
      • Activities & Things To Do
      • Education & Enrichment
      • Health & Wellness
      • Mums & Babies
      • Podcasts
        • Public swimming pools in Hong Kong - Tung ChungBest public pools for families
        • image of family for story on advice for expat parents raising third culture kidsAdvice for expat parents
        • Filling the learning gap in the COVID recovery
        • Cambridge education at CDNIS - Students on the summer learning programmeGet a Taste of a Cambridge Education in HK!
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Home Décor
      • Readers Homes
        • Stanley Home - outside area with ocean viewSee inside this stylish Stanley home
        • Children's books author Bhakti Mathur in hr home on the Peak Hong KongA writer’s retreat on The Peak
        • Asian furniture and home décor - Altfield swirl vases7 must-have Asian classic pieces
        • Causeway Bay apartment home makeover - Christina Standaloft and partnerSpace-savvy Causeway Bay home makeover
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Short Breaks
      • Further Afield
      • Travel News & Offers
        • Junk boat rental and catering companies in Hong Kong - Charter JunksA guide to junk companies & caterers
        • South Lantau - moving to Hong KongGuide to Pui O Village, South Lantau
        • Mount KinabuluClimbing Mount Kinabalu in Sabah
        • Top beaches in Hong Kong - Stanley BeachTop beaches in Hong Kong
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Recipes & Groceries
      • Bars & Restaurants
        • Middle Eastern restaurants in Hong Kong -Maison LibanaiseTaste Test: Middle Eastern Eats
        • Harbourside Grill5 Dining discoveries in Hong Kong
        • Salted Vanilla Caramel Ice Cream Balls Recipe
        • Baan Thai restaurant in Hong Kong, Thai foodTaste Test: Thai food in Hong Kong
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
        • Skincare anti-ageing products, overnight creams, face and eye serumsTried and Tested: Anti-ageing Products 
        • Best foundationsFab foundations for hot climates
        • Tried and Tested: Lip glosses and lip liners
        • Teenager having a facialWhen is it time for your first facial?
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Medical & Dental
      • Fitness
      • Wellness
        • The benefits of exercise for breast cancer
        • Menstrual cupsHave you considered a menstrual cup?
        • 6 stages of life where family medicine matters
        • pregnancy - for web article on common problems in pregnancy and how to relieve symptoms10 common problems in pregnancy & how to help
      • View all
    Close
  • Shop
      • Magazine
      • Advertise With Us
        • March-May2022
        • March-May2022
        • March-May 2022 Issue – $36 (Free Shipping)
        • SALE! ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION PRINT & DIGITAL BUNDLE – $128 (USUAL $192.00)
      • View all
    Close

What’s so special about Turkish towels?

21 March, 2022 by Brooke Chenoweth 3 Min Read

https://expatliving.hk/special-teresas-turkish-towels-hong-kong/

It’s so easy to walk into shops in Hong Kong and buy beautiful things, but how often do you wonder where they came from, or how they were made? We sat down with Teresa Littlewood, importer of Teresa’s Turkish Towels, to learn more about the provenance of her products.

Importer Teresa Littlewood with one of the artisans who weave the Turkish towels
Importer Teresa Littlewood with one of the artisans who weave the Turkish towels

Accidental discovery

Teresa and her husband Tony have called Hong Kong home for many years, but on a trip back to the UK some years ago, during a layover in Istanbul, they came across Turkish towels. Teresa says, “We were walking around the steep cobbled streets in the Karakoy quarter, and I was enjoying chatting to shop owners. My husband is Turkish and I love the country and the wonderful people and way of life. I noticed the beautiful colourful cotton towels and started bringing them back for friends.”

This gifting exercise soon turned into a business venture, when Teresa realised how much everyone loved the towels, and she began importing larger quantities to sell. “Initially, I bought the towels in Istanbul at wholesale prices, and from a beautiful place called Kas in southern Turkey. I was only able to take a box or two in the beginning and had to select from the shop so my choices were limited. After a few months, I decided to go direct to the source. Of course, with Tony being Turkish it made life a lot easier!”

Turkish Towels - Teresa's
The Turkish towels come in a huge array of designs and colours

Getting to the source

After breaking bread with the factory owner, Teresa and Tony were taken on a tour so they could see exactly how their towels were made. “I was blown away,” she says. “There were just so many fantastic designs and colours. We walked around to see the looms, and there were strings of cotton coming from hundreds of reels directed into the weaving machines. A design for a towel is put onto punch cards and then the machine is set up. All the tassels are made by hand – something I wouldn’t have believed if I hadn’t seen it myself!”

Teresa and Tony were also fortunate to visit homes in a nearby village where ladies still make towels on smaller looms. “These towels are quite rare, and sadly the ladies that work the looms are a dying breed as the younger generation doesn’t want to weave for a living; plus, the machines are very old and getting harder to repair.”

Turkish Towels - Teresa's
Turkish cotton is absorbent and gets softer and fluffier the more it is washed

Practical and versatile

So what makes Turkish towels so special? Teresa explains: “Turkish cotton is much better quality for towels than any other cotton in the world due to the length of the fibres, which makes them stronger and smoother. The towels are a flat-weave so there are no ‘loops’ like in terry towels. The cotton is very absorbent and gets softer and fluffier the more you wash it. What makes them excellent for Hong Kong is that they dry in a jiffy, making them better for the environment too. You can wash several different colours in the washing machine all together and the colours won’t run or fade.”

The towels that Teresa imports and sells are also incredibly versatile. You can use them for the bath or the beach, as sarongs or scarves, for yoga or as picnic rugs. As well as coming in a huge range of colours, the towels can be embroidered for extra personalisation. They’re sold at fairs and online, but Teresa encourages customers to visit the company’s “hidden” office. “You can see our whole collection and choose your towel with no pressure,” she says. “We’ll even make you a cup of tea!”

Find out more at hkturkish.com, or email hkturkish@harfordhk.com.

 Subscribe to Expat Living magazine now so you never miss an issue!

Categories: Fashion Living Here Style & Beauty Tags: Fashion homewares small business Teresa's Turkish Towels

Get the latest events, stories and special offers
sent to your inbox.

By signing up, you'll receive our bimonthly newsletters and offers, which you can unsubscribe to anytime.

You May Also Like

The Peak Tram in Hong Kong

What’s happened to the Peak Tram?

HK People: Meet Joanna Baker

Expat Life in Hong Kong – a reader shares her story

A New Chapter: A Reader’s Story

Primary Sidebar

  • COMPETITIONS & OFFERS
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Expat Living Hong Kong, All Rights Reserved.