Ethical, Sustainable Luxury from Tibetan Plateau. Stories from Norlha

Craft

Old Hands, New Tools

When we began planning Norlha in 2005, we knew that we could not rely on the traditional skills in spinning and weaving of the nomads we planne...

Animals and Surroundings

When Dechen and her brother Genam set off to Amdo to buy yak wool in the summer of 2005, they had no idea what they were getting into, and neit...

Craft

Made by hand, handcrafted, are the words that describe a product that doesn’t come out of a machine. The label it carries heightens its value, ...

Craft

In Nepal and India's traditional families, sons follow in their father’s steps and adopt their line of work. Panch Anand hails from a small vil...

Craft

In the old days, women spun, wove and sewed all their clothes and those of their family. They spun and wove sheep wool into blankets to dry che...

Craft

Dolma Tso is one of Norlha’s top spinners. She began working eight years ago, and though most women who start off as spinners move on to other ...

Clothing

• 120 employees, all native of Ritoma Village or the surrounding area • Yak khullu, sourced from the Tibetan Plateau • 60% women, 40% men •...

Craft

Women play a crucial role in the nomad economy of the Tibetan Plateau along with the heavy burden that is put on them from the time they marry....

Craft

Tibetan rugs are an ancient craft, practiced by the nomad/farmer communities in Central and Southern Tibet. They used the wool of highland shee...

Craft

Spinning is a natural activity in most pastoral cultures. Tibetan nomads live among sheep and yak, and have spun and woven their animal’s wool ...

Craft

Felting is an ancient craft, a way of binding fibers to form fabrics and rugs for everyday use. It was highly developed among nomadic population...

Clothing

As in the case of its South American cousin, on the Tibetan Plateau the poncho is worn for riding, for walking in the rain and braving the ever...