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.

Truck Tape

... Is a bit more special than it sounds if we are talking Pakistani trucks. Out there truck owners lavish vast sums on the decoration of their chariots before they are deemed worthy of the road. In the image below we see a modest example crawling its way up the Karakoram Highway (from a scan of a postcard bought in Lahore). A principal element in the truck decorator's pallet is special reflective tape covered in cut-out designs. In a previous trip to Pakistan I bought a roll of this tape and put it on my bike, it has lasted pretty well over the past couple of years, so I think I might start to import the tape and sell it under Hindu Kush.

A Booklet to go With the Coats

I have been working on a booklet to go with each coat I sell. I posted the text for it on the Hindu Kush Facebook page, but I have also been refining the look of it. Below are photos of two versions. Both consist of a book of high gsm white paper and a cover of tracing paper. One has images printed directly onto the tracing paper, whilst the other has a snow fall pattern printed onto the tracing paper and images printed onto the paper booklet which can be seen through the trace. The closer the tracing paper gets to the image behind it the clearer that image becomes. If you move the tracing paper away from the image the focus blurs until all you can see is the surface of the trace. It's like focusing a lens.

Booklet 1: Images printed directly onto the tracing paper with blank paper behind.

Booklet 2: the tracing paper has snowfall printed on it and behind the card is also printed.

The reverse of booklet two with a window through the tracing paper to see the map.