NORLHA

Tibet's first Yak atelier

Norlha is the first yak atelier in the Tibetan Plateau, located in Ritoma village. The small nomadic community that calls Ritoma home have been weaving, felting and spinning yarn for generations, using the khullu wool shed by the native Yaks. Before Dechen Yeshi felt there was an opportunity to combine the unique weaving skills of the local artisans with the exceptional quality of this khullu wool. Along with her mother, Kim, a trained anthropologist with an extensive background in weaving and textiles, they set out to create Norlha, an atelier and social enterprise, which would not only produce beautiful products of the highest quality, but would foster a commitment to the local community. Their first step was to update the drop spindles and blackstrap looms, which were not conducive to production on a larger scale. Looms were sourced from India and trainers were brought in to help refine and update textile techniques as well as management skills.

It takes three Norlha artisans an entire day to create on of their exquisite trail blankets using traditional felting techniques combined with innovations developed at the Norlha Atelier. Norlha is the first atelier in the world to produce yak wool felt blankets of this scale and quality.