“We Are Telling the Story of Returning to the Roots and Essence”
Its name means soul, mind in Latin. “animfrom the word " Mina Dilber Temo, the founder of Anim Living, the spirit of Anim Living; He talked about how talented craftsmen combine handicrafts and our cultural values.
What excites you the most about Anim right now?
Our website, which will be launched next week, and the Anim House Project, which we have been working on for a long time and plan to implement in the summer months...
During your fabric explorations; Can you tell us about the impressive stories you have experienced with the producers about the culture in different regions and villages?
I get excited about fabrics and production every time I go wherever I go.
It is very interesting that in some parts of Şile, Şile cloths still find their unique textures by being washed in the waters of the Black Sea coast with the old methods; or to listen to the stories of women who still try to weave Kandıra cloth with the old methods, heard from their families who have been doing this job for generations… When we look at historical research, the stories become even more interesting. For example, the Romans named Kandıra cloth, which is double-woven, as "bush tear" and was mostly used in sailing. When we look at Ancient Egypt, we see that Kandıra fabric was used in mummification processes. To know the story and journey of fabrics; It is as exciting for me as researching and producing them and turning them into products. In time, I would like to visit different regions of Turkey and inform both myself and our audience more about the journey of fabrics. This is actually a part of the adventure I call the anime journey. I think we have more right to know where and how the products that we use in our homes and that come into contact with our skin the most come from. Moreover, if we consider that the stories about the fabric are so interesting and exciting in Turkey…
How would you describe anime colors?
Natural, genuine, warm, sincere, positive…
What's in your favorite Anim Corner right now?
Pillows from the Ethnic Vintage collection, which I always love and feel timeless, Under The Sun placemats, raw linens, Sunshine Geometry ceramic vase, Abigail Booth's book The Wild Dyer… Lemons, oranges are always a piece of color from nature, always green !
You do joint projects with many brands. What collaborations are next that excite you?
We launched a small capsule collection on children's home textiles with Le Petit 100. Inspired by the world of Le Petit children, it was a collection that reflects the spirit of Anim, and is very heartwarming. In this collection, which we prefer completely natural fabrics and organic cotton, there are products such as bathrobes, towels, bed linen, play mats and beach dresses. It is currently on sale on Le Petit's website. We are excited about it these days! There is another collaboration we are working on with Melez Tea for this summer. We are very excited for him.
Apart from these, there are other works that are in the project stage, that are forward-looking and that excite us, I hope we will share them with you when the time comes.
Who are Anim's favorite architects, designers, writers, ceramic artists and photographers?
As an architect and designer; John Lautner, Richard Neutra, Kappe Ray, Luis Barragan, Ray and Charles Eames…
Pierre Koein, Jean Prouve, Charlotte Periand, Michael Bargo…
Alexander Calder, Henri Matisse, David Hockney, Constantino Nivola...
Ruth Duckworth, Simone Bodmer Turner, Kazunori Hamana, Takura Kuwata...
Irving Penn, Peter Beard, Julius Shulman, Erol Akyavaş...
Sonia Szostak, Elizveta Porodina...
Jean Cocteau, Nazim Hikmet
How do you capture the finely crafted simplicity that we always see in your designs?
No matter how many colors and forms I use, I try not to get away from the naturalness that comes from simplicity. All the forms and patterns I use also come from nature.
In fact, all Anim products tell the story of a return to roots and essence. As much as we pay attention to the fact that it is up-to-date, we also try to reflect it on the designs by feeding on the cultural heritage that the past offers us. I try to interpret all my inspirations with the spirit of Anim. Simple but colourful, calm but eclectic in places, as real as nature itself, yet so dreamy!
Is there a piece that you have seen in your home since your childhood and that you cannot give up?
Ceramics from my father's underground collection. I can say that I grew up admiring them. I think my interest in ceramics comes from there.
What does Anim do about recycling and sustainability?
Sustainability for us is a value that has been in the DNA of the brand since the day Anim was first established. It's a tool rather than an end. Although it is a word whose meaning is a bit empty due to being used too much these days, sustainability is more than anything else for us, a way of thinking and practice. Of course, it is not easy to adopt sustainable practices in every field. It takes time, but we have been doing our best since the first day we started this journey. We do not throw away even the smallest piece of fabric remaining from the production process, we definitely evaluate it. Sometimes we work on patchworks, we cover the furniture in the office; As it is today, we transform it into new products in line with the needs.
In the past weeks, we made masks from the leftover fabrics of old collection products and donated them to the institutions in need through the municipality. At the moment, we still send the masks we have free of charge to those in need. It may be a mask today, something else tomorrow. The important thing is to think and act in a sustainable framework in all areas of production and consumption in order to never waste fabric, and to use this sustainable practice as a tool for the right purposes and needs when appropriate. We also have another highly preferred collection under Anim Essentials, where we recycle cotton - polyester blend fabrics and create tableware products. I have no doubt that we will adopt this practice in more areas in the coming years.
How do you complement your ceramic products with your linen or cotton products in decorations?
In fact, I think that there are products that complement each other in all kinds of decorations. Anim ceramics is a collection that we will present for the first time alongside textile products as we approach our first year. Last year, we worked with very valuable ceramic artists such as Gülsüm Üzel, and we had the opportunity to curate their pieces together with Anim textiles. This year, for the first time, we are launching a capsule ceramic collection under Anim. I think ceramic and fabric products are in perfect harmony with each other in every corner of a house or living space, especially in the table group. It can even be a decor as simple as positioning a raw ceramic vase on raw linen!
It is also very interesting that you have prepared a series about horses. Will there be other works inspired by animals?
Thank you so much! It's actually very interesting. Before I imagined Anim as a home textile-oriented lifestyle brand, I always had in mind to do something about horses. Because I love it, I ride horses myself and I am aware of the deficiencies in that area... Of course, when I got into making both functional and design products for horses with enormous fabrics, I realized that I couldn't help dreaming. That's why I put it on hold as a project to implement when the time came. Then, thanks to Ezgi Apa, I started working on a custom made collection of horse blankets and saddle pads for Apa Pak's team, so I got a bit closer to my dream. I can say that it is quite enjoyable and every moment is an exciting experience! I hope that in the future, I will make an Animequestrian collection for Anim exactly as I have imagined it.
Every place and every living thing touched by nature; therefore, animals are, of course, among my biggest sources of inspiration. So yes, there will be some surprise works as well!
Could you share the books and magazines that you consider important about textile and home decoration?
Cabana MagazineAlmost all numbers of ; Architectural DigestIssue of March 1999; Holiday Magazine archives; The Kinfolk series and Kinfolk Home: Interiors for Slow Living book; Textiles of Japan: The Thomas Murray Collection The book is one of the most influential.
What if anim was a plant?
Monstera!
Let Anim's suggestion for a song to listen to in order to start the day well come from...
Neil Young - Heart of Gold
you tooIf you want to experience the elegant lifestyle created by Anim, from attack suits to modern loincloths, from plate mats to towels and more, you can visit Be People Shop: https://bepeople.co/collections
Mina Dilber Temo – Founder of Anim Living
Mina Dilber Temo, who studied Political Science and Communication and Film Studies at the University of Southern California, produced the 5N1K program broadcast on CNN Türk after she returned to Turkey. Then he continued his career in Videomite and Mutlubiev. He founded Anim Living, a home textile brand, in 2019.
