Tibetannet

The high-end fashion brand “Yak Norbu” will show during the 2019 New York Spring and Summer Fashion Week. The design style of the brand blends Tibetan culture with modern aesthetics and has been widely recognized by people in the fashion industry all over the world.

“Yak Norbu” is a high-end brand under the Lhasa Gangchong Lagya Creative Development Co., Ltd, which aims at exploring and exporting Tibetan ancient and mysterious culture. The company uses wool from yaks living on plateau at 4,000 meters above sea level and combines traditional Tibetan handicrafts with modern design aesthetics to weave a Tibetan culture fashion brand under the name Yak Norbu.

Yak Norbu is not only a Tibetan brand name that refreshes people’s perceptions of traditional Tibetan handicrafts; even more than that, it gives hope to some mountain villages in Tibet. The secretary of Siji Jixiang Village, which produces high quality wool fabric for Yak Norbu, said that as a relocation village (where people have been relocated for poverty alleviation), it has always been difficult for local women who weave traditional ethnic handicrafts to earn money and increase their incomes.

“When Ms. Lan Yu, the chief designer of Yak Norbu, told me that she had a solution, I felt like I was dreaming,” the village secretary said. With the help of Ms. Lan, not only did the weavers have their work recognized outside, but some families were able to get out of poverty.

“Next, we will continue to collaborate with Ms. Lan to expand the strength of the weavers.” When asked about future plans, the village secretary excitedly stated, “In future, we will not only solve employment problems in Siji Jixiang Village; At the same time, we will also bring in women from three relocation villages along the Lhasa River and the rest of the county into the weaving business, helping women of Chushur County pass down this characteristic, cultural ethnic handicraft.”

Lan Yu, the designer of Yak Norbu, said that the first time she came to Tibet, she was impressed by the simple folk customs and natural charm. “When I first chose to use yak wool as a raw material, I wanted to help the local farmers and nomads increase their economic incomes and improve their living standards.” Lan Yu said frankly that although yak wool is an environmentally friendly and advanced raw textile material, the local area did not have any mature industrial chain, so there was no way to guarantee the quality of the raw materials. In order to change this situation, Lan Yu believed that in addition to government support, experts were also needed to provide guidance on scientifically breeding yaks and establish a complete industrial chain for yak breeding, inspecting yak wool textiles, and the initial processing of yak wool.

The success of Yak Norbu has shown the essence of traditional Tibetan culture to the outside world and has provided a model for Tibetan culture to go national and global.