Resources
I have recognised one resource which is really helping me to get deeper into a conscious business design as the permaculture principles.
I have been looking to these principles and finding wisdom in them, they are relating to my ideas more and more. Wherever I find a principle fitting into this design I have highlighted these words throughout this project in green.
Another great resource I have been using is the internet. I have been doing so much research and have been learning such a lot, without having to even leave my house. Still baffled by the futuristic wonder of it all, I give thanks to the internet. All of the resources I have found by web searching - fabric suppliers, organic clothing companies, fairtrade organisations etc can be found in the appendix
I have been looking to these principles and finding wisdom in them, they are relating to my ideas more and more. Wherever I find a principle fitting into this design I have highlighted these words throughout this project in green.
Another great resource I have been using is the internet. I have been doing so much research and have been learning such a lot, without having to even leave my house. Still baffled by the futuristic wonder of it all, I give thanks to the internet. All of the resources I have found by web searching - fabric suppliers, organic clothing companies, fairtrade organisations etc can be found in the appendix
Leads from the Slow Life Cafe
Whilst in a little Northern mountain town I happened to chance across a cafe/ guesthouse one day that had a room filled with naturally dyed handwoven scarves and fabric. This was the first lead I had found in Thailand so was very excited by it. The colours were so beautiful, I tried to speak to the lady running the place about them but she was too busy to understand my broken Thai. But I went back the next day, an hour before my bus was due for Chiang Mai and found out that a friend of hers made the same kinds of things and more so, and has a huge store of natural fabrics and was hoping to start teaching people about natural dying techniques. And she lived in Chiang Mai. So, in blissful gratitude of the synchronicity I took her number, and a pretty scarf, and went on my way.
So far I haven't been able to get in contact with the lady, after lots of trying! But I was still inspired. Here are some pictures of the cafe and the kinds of fabrics that are found there..
So far I haven't been able to get in contact with the lady, after lots of trying! But I was still inspired. Here are some pictures of the cafe and the kinds of fabrics that are found there..
Meeting with Burmese border hilltribes
Borderline - an organisation on the border of Burma
I also recently travelled down to a town called Mae Sot, which is on the border with Burma. I had found out that there are two organisations that work from there who work with local hilltribe and Burmese refugee villages to assist them in finding income through their crafts. The situation in Burma is - to put it very mildly - a very difficult one, and the border areas in Thailand are flooded with many illegal refugees with little opportunity for providing for themselves or their families. One organisation is called Borderline, founded by a Taiwanese lady called Sylvia. She makes contact with many different communities in need of help along the borders, and looks for ways to empower and assist them through finding outlets for their woven fabric and crafts. She also collects fabric from the weavers directly, then works with local seamstresses and tailors to turn the fabric into things that she can then sell in her shop. All profits then go back into helping the communities. This seemed like a great place to connect with so I arranged a meeting with Sylvia and travelled down to meet her. I documented our meeting and it's outcomes through the pictures and videos below.
The video continues below after a short Ohli break..
Traditional backstrap weaving
As you can see the fabric is not ideal for making most items of clothing, it is more suited to wall hangings and bags. It has all been woven on a backstrap loom, a traditional form of weaving that produces beautiful cloth, but only measuring about shoulder width. I do feel that I would really like to work with the villagers here, and there are some real opportunities for developing together in the future. I am going to experiment with the fabric samples I have and stay in contact with Borderline.
Sylvia also told me that one weaving village has three industrial sewing machines, but no-one knows how to use them, and so they can only sell the cloth and not any finished items, which keeps them from making a much better income for themselves. She has offered to train some women in sewing at her workshop but so far none of the women are willing to leave their village for more than just a day to undertake the training. This all points to some great opportunities for co-operation. Working with these villagers would involve more than just making clothes. It would mean working together to create something new, setting up a process that doesn't yet exist, which could benefit the community as a whole. I am hoping to work this into a long term design.
Sylvia also told me that one weaving village has three industrial sewing machines, but no-one knows how to use them, and so they can only sell the cloth and not any finished items, which keeps them from making a much better income for themselves. She has offered to train some women in sewing at her workshop but so far none of the women are willing to leave their village for more than just a day to undertake the training. This all points to some great opportunities for co-operation. Working with these villagers would involve more than just making clothes. It would mean working together to create something new, setting up a process that doesn't yet exist, which could benefit the community as a whole. I am hoping to work this into a long term design.
Other helpful resources
I have been emailing some of the small companies I come across that work in a way I would like to, and asked them for advice in where they source their fabrics from. Time after time they tell me that they go to Nepal and the Himalaya region. Plants such as cotton, hemp and nettle grow abundantly here, the local people are very skilled in weaving and natural dying, and are also very willing to create your designs together. I have put copies of their emails, along with all other mail connected with this project in the appendix, here. (a work in progress)
One of the best resources I have found is a lovely company called Sorazora. They are one of the companies that I have been communicating with, and they have a lovely website with some really clear information about the reasons they choose Nepal, and what fabrics and dyes are found there. You can see their website and all the information here.
I think I have been quite set on the idea of making my clothes in Thailand, but it has felt like a real uphill struggle so far. The deeper into this project I go, the more I know what it is I'm looking for. And if I look at where the journey is taking me, all things seem to point to Nepal.
The possibilities for me in Thailand so far are not so abundant. Cotton is the only material that I have found access to, and I haven't been able to make any progress with hemp or other alternative fabrics. For now I feel that I'd like to begin by looking into more short term options and look for communities that already create the kinds of fabrics I am looking for.
I feel that to get this project off the ground I want to be putting my energy into the options that feel the most likely to succeed. To create the main body of work from a reliable source, and then to add in the edges and boundaries later. Realising that the make-or-break aspect to this project is the issue of providing an income to sustain itself, I need to be sure that the avenues that I choose to embark on now are the ones that are likely to help make everything else possible.
In permaculture design one of the principles to follow is to create a yield. I really feel that this is relevant here, as the future of this project and all the possibilities in the long term all depend on this, I need to keep that in focus. This leads me on to thinking that I will need to create some kind of financial business plan soon too.
For now, off to the himalayas!
I have been emailing some of the small companies I come across that work in a way I would like to, and asked them for advice in where they source their fabrics from. Time after time they tell me that they go to Nepal and the Himalaya region. Plants such as cotton, hemp and nettle grow abundantly here, the local people are very skilled in weaving and natural dying, and are also very willing to create your designs together. I have put copies of their emails, along with all other mail connected with this project in the appendix, here. (a work in progress)
One of the best resources I have found is a lovely company called Sorazora. They are one of the companies that I have been communicating with, and they have a lovely website with some really clear information about the reasons they choose Nepal, and what fabrics and dyes are found there. You can see their website and all the information here.
I think I have been quite set on the idea of making my clothes in Thailand, but it has felt like a real uphill struggle so far. The deeper into this project I go, the more I know what it is I'm looking for. And if I look at where the journey is taking me, all things seem to point to Nepal.
The possibilities for me in Thailand so far are not so abundant. Cotton is the only material that I have found access to, and I haven't been able to make any progress with hemp or other alternative fabrics. For now I feel that I'd like to begin by looking into more short term options and look for communities that already create the kinds of fabrics I am looking for.
I feel that to get this project off the ground I want to be putting my energy into the options that feel the most likely to succeed. To create the main body of work from a reliable source, and then to add in the edges and boundaries later. Realising that the make-or-break aspect to this project is the issue of providing an income to sustain itself, I need to be sure that the avenues that I choose to embark on now are the ones that are likely to help make everything else possible.
In permaculture design one of the principles to follow is to create a yield. I really feel that this is relevant here, as the future of this project and all the possibilities in the long term all depend on this, I need to keep that in focus. This leads me on to thinking that I will need to create some kind of financial business plan soon too.
For now, off to the himalayas!