Dhartsedo

Dhartsedo: Wearable Art from Khampa Tibet and Southwest China

2006-12-18T05:07:00.000+08:00

Dhartsedo showcases the unique tailoring, artistry and crafts of Khampa Tibet and Southwest China. Click on the map to enlarge.

Yi Laquerware

2006-12-13T20:04:00.000+08:00

Guza Baby Carriers

2006-12-13T18:45:00.000+08:00

In Tibetan culture, infants are often strapped to their mother’s back for long periods during the day, and women from many areas sew and embroider ornate baby carriers for this purpose. This colourful baby carrier comes from the Chinese/Tibetan border town of Guza, traditionally a Gyarong Tibetan community. The two long straps cross at the front and wrap around the back to tie again at the front.

Gala yak hair handspun/woven throw

2006-12-13T18:44:00.000+08:00

Gala village is a remote Tibetan community in the mountains on the border of the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province and the Deqin Tibetan area in Yunnan Province, China. This throw is spun from yak hair, which is woven in thick strips then sewn together. These throws are staple household items in the Gala and surrounding villages.

Gala goat hair handspun/woven throw

2006-12-13T18:43:00.002+08:00

Gala village is a remote Tibetan community in the mountains on the border of the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province and the Deqin Tibetan area in Yunnan Province, China. This throw is spun from goat wool, and woven in thick strips which are sewn together and finished off with a colorful woven edging. In this area of Tibet, white goat wool is more rare than black yak hair, and house guests always have a white blanket laid over their bed as a token of their hosts’ compliments.

Danba Woven Sashes

2006-12-13T18:43:00.001+08:00

This handwoven sash is traditionally worn tied at the waist of women’s traditional dress in the Gyarong Tibetan community of Danba, located in a deep valley along the banks of the Dardo River in the Garze Autonomous Tibetan Prefecture of western Sichuan, China.

Rissa Leather Cut-Out Saddle Satchel

2006-12-13T18:42:00.000+08:00

Rissa is a remote herding village on the Lhagong grasslands in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region in western Sichuan province, China. This satchel was cut from hand-treated yak leather and crafted in a traditional saddlebag style, but the straps were fixed at the side so that it can be used with greater ease as a shoulder bag.

Shamalong Nomad Slingshots

2006-12-13T18:41:00.000+08:00

Shamalong is a herding village in Lhagong county in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region in western Sichuan province, China. This traditional yak and sheep wool slingshot is used to by the highland nomads to herd their yaks, who often roam from their grazing pastures.

Shamalong Handwoven Wool Money Belt

2006-12-13T18:40:00.000+08:00

Shamalong is a herding village in Lhagong county in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region in western Sichuan province, China. This colourful money belt is made of handspun, hand-dyed and hand-woven sheep wool with a yak leather strap.

Shamalong Sewing Kits

2006-12-13T18:39:00.000+08:00

Shamalong is a herding village in Lhagong county in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region in western Sichuan province, China. This traditional sewing kit is made of hand-treated yak leather, and can be worn dangling at the waist or hung in a convenient place. Thread or yarn is kept in the smaller pocket, and needles kept in the longer one. It is made by nomadic herder artisans.

Shamalong Nomad Rain Hats

2006-12-13T18:38:00.000+08:00

Shamalong is a herding village in Lhagong county in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region in western Sichuan province, China. These hats are made of locally handmade wool felt which is both warm and water resistant. The conical shape means the water runs down the hat, keeping the face dry in a rainstorm.

Shamalong Monk Bowl Covers (with bowls)

2006-12-13T18:37:00.002+08:00

Traditionally, monks would carry their bowls in these covers when travelling from place to place. They are woven around a simple reed frame using yak hair and sheep wool. The Tibetan bowls feature decoration of auspicious symbols and a curved lip suitable for drinking tea. These bowl covers are made by artisans from Shamalong, a herding village in Lhagong county in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region in western Sichuan province, China.

Shamalong Nomad Bags

2006-12-13T18:37:00.001+08:00

Shamalong is a herding village in Lhagong county in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region in western Sichuan province, China. These bags are made of locally handmade textiles using wool and yak hair and feature leather, wool and felt detailing.

Shamalong Felt Boots

2006-12-13T17:56:00.000+08:00

Shamalong is a herding village in Lhagong county in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region in western Sichuan province, China. These boots are made of locally handmade wool felt and are turned up at the toes to symbolically prevent treading on small insects.

Brocade Lined Mens Vest (Side Fastening)

2006-12-13T17:53:00.000+08:00

This dashing style of vest is often worn beneath heavy robes which are knotted at the hips. It was made by a tailor named Rinchen from Dhartsedo (Kangding), the prefectural capital of the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region in western Sichuan province, China.

Brocade Lined Mens Jackets (Side Fastening)

2006-12-13T17:52:00.000+08:00

This side-fastening brocade-edged jacket is the signature garment of the ’Khampa Hanzi’, the dashing and fearless menfolk of Kham, the easternmost of Tibet’s traditional three provinces. This garment has extra long sleeves to create an exaggerated silhouette on horseback and to do away with the need for hand gloves in cold weather. This jacket was made by a tailor named Rinchen from Dhartsedo (Kangding), the prefectural capital of the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region in western Sichuan province, China.

Sheepskin Brocade Vest

2006-12-13T17:51:00.000+08:00

This warm vest is made of fine quality Indian brocade and lined with soft sheepskin from the remote Tibetan settlement of Zatchka in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region (western Sichuan province, China).

Drango Handspun/Woven Woolen Jacket (Natural)

2006-12-13T17:50:00.000+08:00

This jacket was made by a disabled tailor named ___ from the the Tibetan town of Drango in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region in the west of Sichuan province, China. The main woolen fabric was spun, woven and washed by a retired herdswoman using the wool collected from her own sheep. It was woven on a simple wooden loom. The edging – a coarse woolen fabric called ‘chuk’ – is imported from central Tibet and features auspicious symbols and patterns.

Drango woolen jacket with cut-out detailing

2006-12-13T17:49:00.002+08:00

This jacket was made by a nomadic tailor/artisan named Tseren Wengjia from the Tibetan town of Drango in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region in the western of Sichuan province, China. The main fabric is a wool felt imported from central Tibet and the swirling felt cut-out designs are a technique Tseren learned from his father.

Brocade Lama Jacket

2006-12-13T17:49:00.001+08:00

This is a typical Tibetan monks’ jacket in a strong burgundy brocade with magenta lining. This jacket was made by a rural tailor named Pema in a village in Garze county.

Yi Silver Button Jacket

2006-12-13T17:48:00.001+08:00

Drango Brocade Monk Bags

2006-12-13T17:47:00.000+08:00

This bag was made by a twenty-nine year old nun named Gesang from the Tibetan town of Drango, in the Garze Autonomous Tibetan Prefecture in western Sichuan province, China. It is made of strong and durable brocade and cut in the style of the traditional Tibetan monk shoulder bag.

Yi/Danba Embroidered Velvet Jackets

2006-12-13T17:46:00.000+08:00

This jacket is made from soft, flat velvet and embroidered with fine wool yarn in a pattern characteristic of Danba, an age-old Gyarong Tibetan valley community on the banks of the Dardo River in the Garze Autonomous Tibetan Prefecture of western Sichuan, China. The jacket was made by a female Tibetan tailor named Lhamo and embroidered by a paraplegic woman named Li from a neighbouring village.

Danba velvet robe with lada fringing (black)

2006-12-13T17:44:00.000+08:00

This jacket is made from soft, rich velvet and edged with brocade and frayed ‘lada’, an imported coarse silk. It is made by a tailor in Danba, an age-old Tibetan valley community on the banks of the Dardo River in the Garze Autonomous Tibetan Prefecture of western Sichuan, China.

Danba Fur Trim Velvet Jacket

2006-12-13T17:38:00.000+08:00

This jacket is made from soft, rich velvet and edged with brocade and faux fur trim. It is made by a tailor from Danba, an age-old Gyarong Tibetan valley community on the banks of the Dardo River in the Garze Autonomous Tibetan Prefecture of western Sichuan, China.

Danba Velvet Robe (Deep Red)

2006-12-13T17:35:00.000+08:00

This robe is made from soft, rich velvet and edged with fine-quality Indian brocade. It is made by a tailor in Danba, an age-old Gyarong Tibetan valley community on the banks of the Dardo River in the Garze Autonomous Tibetan Prefecture of western Sichuan, China.

Yi Woolen Embroidered Cape (Navy)

2006-12-13T17:32:00.000+08:00

This cape is the traditional cold weather outer dress of the Yi people from Zhaojue, an Yi settlement in the ‘Cool Mountains’ (Liangshan) Yi Autonomous Region in the south of China’s Sichuan province. The woolen fabric is handspun and handwoven from local fleece, dyed and then embroidered in simple patterns using colourful yarn.

Yi Woolen Cape (Natural)

2006-12-13T17:25:00.000+08:00

This cape is the traditional cold weather outer dress of the Yi people from Zhaojue, an Yi settlement in the ‘Cool Mountains’ (Liangshan) Yi Autonomous Region in the south of China’s Sichuan province. The woolen fabric is handspun and handwoven from local fleece, and is extremely warm and somewhat water resistant.

DHARTSEDO Wearable art from Khampa Tibet and Southwest China

2006-12-10T17:43:00.000+08:00

Dhartsedo is based in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region in the mountainous west of China’s Sichuan province. This region encapsulates most of the eastern part of Kham, one of several provinces comprising traditional Tibet. Within this area, different ethnic Tibetan groups continue to produce and wear their distinctive and vibrant styles of traditional dress. Communities divided by river bends and mountain peaks produce different styles of embroidery, weaving and costume which have been handed down for generation upon generation, such as artisans from herding villages in the high grasslands of Lhagong and rural village spinners and weavers from the remote southern Sichuan Tibetan settlement of Gala.

We commenced our project in August 2006, with the aim of drawing on the creativity and traditions of the communities with which we work to create high quality handmade pieces of wearable art. We largely work in remote areas with economically disadvantaged people and use local materials wherever possible. We are concerned to establish a sustainable vehicle through which makers can sell their work to non-traditional buyers, and train local people in business skills through our organization structure. We are dedicated to fairness, decency and respect in our working relationships, and the creation of beautiful, durable pieces which reflect rich cultural legacies as well as the private inspirations of the makers.

Our clothes incorporate local styles of embroidery, weaving, brocade-edging and garment design. We are concerned to encourage the continuation of these traditional skills and art forms which, in modern times, are often seen as time-consuming and redundant, particularly by younger generations. We utilize such local materials as wool, yak hair, sheepskin, hemp, leather, wood and silver. In keeping with local practice, some fabrics (such as silks, brocades and some felts) are imported from central Tibet, inland China, Nepal and India. Our styles are constantly evolving, and combine traditional and modern elements to produce functional pieces of wearable art.

Our two ranges are Dhartsedo Finery and Dhartsedo Wild.

Dhartsedo Finery is a collection of striking styles featuring detailing such as gilt-edged brocade and fine embroidery. Garments are made using high quality textiles and are refined and unusual; elegant and original. Dhartsedo Wild encompasses a range of designs using locally handspun, handwoven and sometimes hand-dyed textiles and a variety of detailing such as leatherwork, felt appliqué and naïve embroidery.

In cooperation with Khampa Nomad Art, an artisan cooperative also based in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region, we also offer a range of unique handicrafts made by Khampa nomadic herders and farmers using time-old methods and local materials. These handicrafts include bags, satchels, monk bowl covers, sewing kits, hats and more. These items are typical styles from the artisans’ home regions, and some are created in keeping purely with traditional design, whereas others are tweeked by the artisans’ own imagination and understanding of modern life.

2007 looks to be a very exciting year for us. We will work to organise new communities in spinning, weaving, sewing and embroidery projects, as well as focus on strengthening the infrastructure and training in the communities already organized. By the end of the year, our first crop of organic hemp in the Jiga Tibetan region in south-west Sichuan will be harvested and ready to be spun and woven into cloth by the women in Gala village. We look forward to the challenges ahead, and the wonderful products to be added to our existing range. You can visit our website at: www.dhartsedo.com.