... Back From The Hindu Kush

I had a wonderful time! It was very exciting to visit Garam Cheshma the village, high in the mountains on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan where shu is made. The setting was exquisitely beautiful and the people involved in making shu were at once dignified and also very helpful to me. To witness the spinning and weaving processes was something else, the machines used could have been plucked from a scene hundreds of years ago. It would be wrong to understand them as primitive though, they were obviously efficient and ergonomic. The skill involved in using them was impressive and I now have a much better understanding of the labour which goes into the fabric.

I have pasted some screen captures from the film I took at Garam Cheshma below.

Off to the Hindu Kush!

I apologise for the lack of posts over the past couple of weeks, but my spare time has been taken up with organising a trip to Pakistan. I leave on Friday and I am back on the 20th. Whilst out there I hope to film, photograph and interview the wonderful makers of shu!

I also want to visit these people for their famous Spring festival...

...and visit these people on their high altitude wanderings.

...and perhaps squeeze in a couple of days in this celestial valley!

Top photograph curtsey of Matan Rochlitz.

Truck Tape Ankle Strap

I have been trying to think of different uses for the wonderful high-vis truck tape I posted about in February. I thought that it would do very well as an ankle strap, for keeping your trousers free of the chain whilst cycling.  So last Weekend I poked about the fabric shops of Goldhawk Road and the stalls of Shepherds Bush market until I had red suede, transparent PVC, green thread, sliver reflective tape and brass popper buttons. Out of these ingredients I cobbled together a prototype for a truck tape ankle strap (please forgive the shoddy stitching).

The Kailey Sheep

The wool we use comes from a sheep called the kailey. I don't know as much as I should do about this sheep and what I do know may be a bit iffy. But, I think it is unique to Chitral and it is interesting to environmentalists as it doesn't graze the high pastures since grazing the upper slopes of the Hindu Kush contributes to erosion and flash floods. It still gets succulent fodder from the high pastures though, as shepherds make the climb instead of their flocks and lovingly bring back sack loads of scythed grass for the waiting sheep. It must be worth it as the wool is very much prized and costs a lot more than comparable mountain wools.

As a tribute to this fine sheep and because I need something to print on to T-shirts I made a drawing of the Kailey....

Khyber Lining

I have been working on a lining which uses elements of a drawing I made  about 3 years ago of the Khyber Pass. The Khyber Pass links Afghanistan and Pakistan, in fact it is a bit far South to count as the Hindu Kush. However, it is iconic, so I have included it. The trucks which wind slowly along its narrow road are the same wonderfully decorated vehicles which wheeze up and over the Lowari Pass carrying our cloth out of Chitral and into the rest of the world. Below is an overall view of the lining
and some details.

A visa for Pakistan

I am applying for a visa for travel to Pakistan in May. I am going because I want to film the remarkable processes which go into the making of the cloth that I use in my coats. It will be the 6th time I have been to Pakistan and each time the tourist visa requirements get more and more outlandish. I suppose this is in reaction to increasingly stringent UK border controls, so the process gives you some idea of what it is like applying for a UK visa if you are a Pakistani. Anyway, here are some of the requirements and questions: Blood Group, mother's place of birth, distinguishing mark, religion, previous employer's contact details, every foreign country you have visited in the last two years, the dates and where you stayed, a day by day itinerary for your trip in Pakistan, a photo copy of your passport, 4 passport photos, a letter of support from your employer, a letter of invitation from a sponsor, scans of your sponsor's ID card, an up to date utility bill, bank statements for the past two months...

Lining Shots

I have been working on an over-shirt made from shu wool and lined with my snow leopard and markhor chase fabric. The cut isn't finalised, but I here are some images I just took of the lining.