How we Found the Group

Since we founded Artha, we have been searching for the softest and warmest wool with which to create throws and shawls. We wanted to use a different fiber to cashmere; something that could be considered more sustainably sourced and which wasn’t already being over used. After a lot of research, we found a community located on the Tibetan Plateau that was creating amazing pieces out of the lesser known Yak Wool. Upon feeling the product and getting to know the story of the community, we knew we could stop searching.

The Story

Norlha, the weaving studio we collaborate with is located at an altitude of 3200m in a small village on the vast Tibetan Plateau. Having started off in 2007 with just a few local nomads who were to learn the process of spinning and weaving, the studio now employs 120 individuals from the local community. The ecosystem that has been created around the business of creating Yak wool textiles benefits everyone from the community and the nomads, and contributes to the sustainability of the land. Selling their wool directly and year round means the nomads have a reliable source of income to sustain their nomadic life. For those employed by Norlha, they have an additional, or for some, the only source of secured income, continuous training and a stable community to be part of. 

It is fascinating to think of the journey of how the fiber known as khullu, which has protected the yak through the bitter winter and shed in the spring is collected and hand spun into fine fibers to be hand woven into beautiful, luxuriously soft pieces. Through our collaboration with Norlha, we aim to play a part in their mission of preserving local life and communities in a sustainable manner and to bring you luxurious, hand-made pieces out of the lesser known Yak Wool.