I do confess to checking the spelling of Kyrgyzstan as well as its location (between Tajikistan and China) as it’s not exactly well-known.
This is one of those NGO projects that is developing products for first world countries using the traditional skills of rural communities and seems to be heading in the right direction. Their main market at the moment is Japan and they now want to expand to Europe.
All colours are created using natural dyes such as walnut, apricot leaves and woad giving these soft yet slightly acidic colours. I love the woollen yarn above and felt is such a practical product, especially for insulation and protection.
Oh, and here are some cute little needle-felted animals to finish with.
Distribution for this and other fair trade work is through Luxury FairCraft, Lukardis von Studnitz’s organisation in Germany, and I thank her for talking me through the work when we met at Maison & Objet. I think it would go well at the Selvedge Dry Goods Store.
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