ARTISAN PORTRAITS

Over the last decade, Norlha has spent 40,000+ hours training local nomads in vocational, management & textile skills, training more than 150 artisans who now use their exceptional skills to create high-end textiles from yak khullu. Behind each Norlha piece is a skilled artisan, cherished members of our Norlha family. Here we invite members of the Atelier to share their favorite pieces from Norlha’s latest Spring Summer Collection.

Rinchen Tso  - རིན་ཆེན་འཚོ།

Rinchen Tso is 35 years old and has a 12 year old daughter. Rinchen is a knitter at Norlha and her husband is the head chef of the employee’s canteen. She has been at Norlha since 2011 and was a nomad before then.“I own a Nomad Net Scarf and often throw it over my shoulders as a shawl. I love this piece as it completes my Traditional Tibetan robe which I wear every day. The natural grey is my favorite colour. There is just something gentle and seamless about this colour, a perfect medium between the white and the brown.”Gendun - དགེ་འདུན།

Gendun and his wife Dukar are carpet weavers at Norlha. They are both skilled artisans and have been with Norlha since 2009. They have two children, and before coming to Norlha, they lived as nomads in Ritoma.“I love the Tibetan Shirt in the natural grey colour. I feel it complements our robes well and is an evolution of the much-prized Tibetan Shirt in raw silk that used to be brought from India.”Donla - སྒྲོན་ལོ།

Donla has been with Norlha for the past 12 years and today is one of Norlha’s best ‘clippers.’ Clippers finish each piece ridding it of any knots that the weavers might have added to secure thread breakages. Clippers also hand sew the edges or knot the fringes of scarves. Donlo, referred to as Acha Donla, meaning sister Donlo, is 56 years old and was a nomad before coming to Norlha. She is the mother of two children. “I love the versatility of this size. I can wear the Nomad Brown Classic Skinny daily, wrapped around my neck or over my head and around my face. It keeps the wind out and when the clouds break and there is sunshine, it is easy to tie around my waist, accessible again when the Plateau weather turns. The natural brown is my favorite colour. It is the colour of our yaks, and the colour of earth.”