Informed by the landscape of the Tibetan Plateau where Norlha is based, the Spring/Summer collection comprises luxurious, handwoven summer staples. The sustainable luxury brand is centered on the traditions of nomadic Tibetan culture and produces two seasonal collections a year, focused around a single material, Yak khullu.
Carefully handmade by skilled artisans using the finest fabrics, Norlha’s Spring/Summer collection offers refined comfort and ease for the warmer months. Delicate scarves and softly structured garments in cotton, silk, khullu and wool are feather-light and designed to move with the breeze, like the summer winds that roll across the plateau. Relaxed shawls, shirts, dresses and trousers offer breathable cover from the sun, while wraps, summer blazers and coats provide luxurious comfort for cooler evenings spent outside.
The collection’s starting points were two antique Tibetan items – one decorative and one practical. A hair ornament made from a red cotton sash bound with indigo piping, ochre stitching and finished with miniature buttons and an apron made in a striped, narrow-weave fabric. This combination of functionality and ornamentation feeds through the collection, with highly wearable, subtly embellished garments, all impeccably hand-finished at Norlha’s Atelier. A unisex summer coat is delicately embroidered with bands of deep navy thread; mother of pearl buttons run along the placket of a silk and sheep’s wool-blend shirt and decorative herringbone ties hang loosely at the sides of an organic cotton apron dress.
The collection’s spectrum of shades and colours were also informed by these same reference points. Navy, natural white, darkest green, ochre and rust combine to create a stripped-back summer palette, while cool greys and mud browns echo the neutral tones of the sun-bleached Tibetan landscape.
Norlha’s ethos combines ethical materials and production, with fine craftsmanship and contemporary design and all the fabrics used in the Spring/Summer collection are woven at Norlha’s Atelier, reflecting Norlha’s commitment to using only the finest, sustainably sourced fibres. Yak khullu, the soft down fiber from young yaks, is sourced from local nomad cooperatives, while GOTS-certified organic cotton is grown in Jiangsu Province using socially and ecologically responsible farming practices.
ABOUT NORLHA
Founded in 2007 by mother and daughter Kim and Dechen Yeshi, Norlha is a sustainable luxury brand based in a remote nomad settlement on the Tibetan Plateau. Dedicated to empowering their community through sustainable development, Norlha employs and trains local artisans to produce luxury clothing and homewares using the finest yak down or ‘khullu’ sourced from nomad co-operatives. A precious fibre renowned for its durability, softness and warmth, khullu is used alongside other responsibly sourced fibres in Norlha’s Spring/Summer collection.
Norlha is a certified Benefit Corporation and has been awarded by the United Nations Development Programme. Since the company’s founding, Norlha has adhered to the principles of an impact enterprise, ensuring the fair treatment of workers and a minimal carbon footprint.
ABOUT YAK KHULLU
A new arrival in the world of luxury fashion, khullu is a rare and innately ethical fibre. Grown as a dense undercoat beneath the yak’s characteristic long, shaggy hair and naturally shed at the beginning of summer, this incredibly soft down is prized for its softness, durability and warmth.
Khullu is the basis of Norlha and is used across the entire range. Carefully selected from thousands of animals across the Tibetan Plateau, Norlha’s khullu is spun, woven and felted by local artisans at the Norlha Atelier in Ritoma Village. The result is a luxurious textile with extraordinary insulating properties which retains its shape, resists pilling and will last long enough to be passed on to the next generation.
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Photograph: Sarah Stedeford
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Photograph: Sarah Stedeford
