Many years ago, when the wonderful animal behaviorist and naturalist, George Schaller, was studying snow leopard, he spoke to me of the Tibetan Plateau where he lived, alone, for months on end. He described its remote, stark beauty, sharing pictures both in word and and photograph, that enlivened my imagination.
Olivier Follmi, the photographer, has captured this same windswept landscape that seems to float on the doorstep of heaven, a sweep of treeless plain across which travel ruddy-skinned, black-maned men, women and children on rugged horses and shaggy yaks.
And then, almost a year ago, I saw this image.
And this one.
And there, in one image, two passions of mine joined hands: the landscape of my imagination and a textile, enticing in feel, color and drape.
The textiles come from a social enterprise of a unique kind called Norlha Textiles. The brainchild of a remarkable woman, Kim Yeshi, it seeks to transform raw yak wool into items of great beauty and quality, using local raw materials, skills and ingenuity. The product is deeply satisfying in the hand and exquisite to the eye. And, when carefully examined, each border and lining, every tassle and hem — all fashioned and finished by hand – is perfectly balanced, hued, and textured.
In their words:
“Norlha is a new concept that links sustainability with luxury…Norlha believes in innovation: It combines traditional techniques with more modern technology to create luxurious textiles in an endless variety of patterns and weights, suitable for all seasons.”
Norlha textiles can be purchased via their website or from Atelier Courbet, located in New York City.
All photographs courtesy of Norlha Textiles
Since 2007, when fashion designer and philanthropist Donna Karan founded the Urban Zen Foundation, an inspiringly beautiful holiday market appears at 705 Greenwich Street in lower Manhattan. Each year, Karan creates a marketplace that combines humanitarianism with consumerism, promoting shopping with a purpose. The Foundation is dedicated to three initiatives: preservation of culture (past); bringing mind, body and spirit to healthcare (present); education (future.) The opening last night featured more than 40 artisans from countries as diverse as Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, India, South Africa and Mexico, artisans that exhibit at the International Folk Art Market in the Southwest each summer. The space is the perfect venue in which to display fabrics and objects, photographs and fashion in such a way that they - and you - feel instantly at home.
Of particular beauty were the feather light shrugs, coats and jackets of Farzana Sharshenbieva from Kyrgyzstan; the magnificently, finely tie dyed bandhani silk scarves of Gujarati Abduljabbar Khatri; the sensuous Zulu pots of Jabulile Nala whose mother is considered a national treasure. I adored the heavy, indigo dyed raw cotton jackets of Laotian Boukhong Signavong that greet you as you enter this magical space.
There is nothing more healing, nothing more inspiring, nothing more warming than to be in the presence of passionate artisans who draw beauty from their souls to share it with others. It was hard to leave Urban Zen last night, so hard, in fact, that I shall return tomorrow."
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