At From The Source we've been steadily increasing the amount of cotton products we source from Laos, in particular handwoven, naturally dyed fabric that's produced in rural areas. We love these cotton products, and now stock cotton scarves for men and women in a range of beautiful natural colours that have a lovely handmade feel. They are truly original scarves that look great on, and also have a fantastic story as making them is offering new opportunties for women in Laos and providing sustainable rural development.
The Panchachuli Women Weavers is a fair trade cooperative producing the finest quality handwoven scarves and shawls from cashmere and lambswool. Located near Almora in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas, visiting Panchachuli back in 2005 was a big inspiration for us and for the creation of From the Source
From The Source scarves are made by organisations that make a real difference to people's lives such as Phontong Handicrafts in Laos. This year Kommaly Chanthavong, the founder of Mulberries, Camacrafts, and Phontong Handicraft Cooperative in Laos, was one of the honoured recipients of the International Women of Courage Awards. This is an acknowledgement of her fantastic work providing training and employment opportunities to women in Laos.
