Meet Sirin Aysan

 

We recently connected with Sirin Aysan and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sirin , thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.

My optimism comes from a deep belief that every challenge is an opportunity for growth and improvement. I try to focus on the potential for positive change, both in myself and the world around me. What’s the alternative anyway? Despair? Discontent? I actively choose to resist despair.

Also being an entrepreneur requires a decent amount of optimism, in fact I believe that it is a cornerstone of entrepreneurship. Without it, starting and running a business would be nearly impossible.

Recently I came across this quote from Ryan Holiday (The Daily Stoic Podcast) which resonated with me: “That business decision that turned out to be a mistake? See it as a hypothesis that was wrong. Like a scientist, you can learn from the experience and use it in your next experiment”

In the world of business, there’s no straight path to success. There are setbacks, failures, moments of doubt—but optimism is what keeps you going when things aren’t going according to plan.

I strongly believe that optimism is about fostering a mindset that empowers others and it is not just “hoping for the best” it is an active force that helps us to adapt and continue to move forward.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’ve been working as a TV producer for the past two decades but in 2021, I co-founded Studio Marmi with Asli Smith to produce handcrafted rugs and tapestries in Turkiye, where we were both born and raised. Our brand was born out of our desire to work with artisans in our native land, Turkiye and to create unique collections that expressed rug design as an art form.

As a documentary filmmaker, I have produced a wide range of visually powerful, character-driven documentaries shot around the world with subjects ranging from ancient history to politics to technology but my passion subjects have always been the stories about gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.

When we started Studio Marmi, apart from producing beautiful rugs and tapestry collections we also strived for creating sustainable livelihoods for small local economies and supporting communities that are predominantly women.

So I see rug making as an extension of this passion and my storytelling journey. It is the perfect match for my love and appreciation for this heritage craft of weaving and felting which are techniques that have been passed down through generations. These crafts are links to our heritage and ancestors, through them, we are telling stories about the people and the geography we deeply care about.

Studio Marmi’s first rug collection was launched at Maison & Objet in Paris and currently we are working on our second collection which will be available in Spring 2025. As Studio Marmi, we have also launched a meditation furniture set called Hempla, which is a collaboration between Studio Marmi and Sofia Hagen design based in London. Hempla is a 3 d printed hemp & sugarcane meditation seat along with a rug that is made from recycled hemp and wool. We believe this product is
the perfect combination of wellness, new material research, craftsmanship and AI, connecting the past and future.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I think the most impactful qualities are to take every opportunity, show up 100% and try to find joy in everything you do. Clarity of purpose is also very important. It is not easy by any means and I am being challenged everyday but I think the more you can define your purpose the easier it gets to make decisions to walk on that path. But without taking action that path might never appear, as in Rumi’s famous quote” As you start to walk the way, the way appears”.

What are your challenges in growing your business?

As a new brand, our biggest challenge is to find design stores or museum gift shops to carry our beautiful rugs and wall tapestries. So far, we have been reaching out to customers via our online store or word of mouth but it’s been a challenge to find a likeminded design store to carry our products. As I live in LA it will make me so happy to see our rugs and beautiful tapestries in a physical store where people can touch and feel, appreciate the artisanship and the natural materials that have been used. Understandably retailers often prefer established brands so we are working hard on building our unique brand identity, telling our story and hopefully find a few independent stores that will appreciate our unique value proposition.

Contact Info:

 

Image Credits

Kadir Asnaz
Gokay Sarioz
Maria Nova

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