Striped pajama sets, a mark of Turkish homewear from the 1960s through the late 1980s, are being preserved and revived in Manisa’s Demirci district, western Türkiye, by 77-year-old tailor Yaşar Öztemel.
Once a staple “home uniform” across the country, these nostalgic pajamas are gaining renewed attention as special orders increase, showing that they are more than just clothing, they are a living part of Turkish culture.
The tradition, widely recognized from Yeşilçam films and remembered for its association with family warmth, is kept alive in Öztemel’s small 12-square-meter shop on Yağcılar Street.
Öztemel inherited the business from his father and older brother and has been working there for 60 years. Refusing to rely on modern ready-to-wear fashion, he continues to sew each striped pajama by hand, using an antique sewing machine and traditional techniques, producing garments that reflect both craftsmanship and nostalgia.
The striped pajamas are made with cotton interiors, making them warm in winter and cool in summer. “I do my best to keep the striped pajama tradition alive,” Öztemel says. “As long as I have the strength, I will continue to sew these pajamas by hand, preserving both the craft and the cultural memory they carry.”
Neighbor Nurullah Baş praises Öztemel’s skill, saying: “Yaşar Abi is one of the last master tailors who inherited his craft from his family. He pays attention to nostalgia and sews the pajama sets that were famous decades ago. People who are interested in these pajamas still come to him to have them made.”
Despite changes in fashion and the dominance of ready-made clothing, Öztemel’s work has ensured that the striped pajama remains more than a garment; it is a cultural symbol. The renewed demand demonstrates that traditional craftsmanship in Türkiye continues to hold value, bridging generations and keeping alive a piece of the country’s mid-20th-century domestic life.
