You will see that most of our products are made with local textiles. These are obtained, at fair market prices, from our associates in the hills.  We have identified some of the best weavers and designers in the area as our sources.

Weaving, almost exclusively the domain of women, is done in both plains and hill Karen households, but it is more important in the hills. Hill Karen use only the traditional belt loom, whereas plains Karen use either the belt loom or the Burmese fixed-frame loom. In the past, cotton was ginned, whipped, spun on a wheel, dyed, and woven at home. At present some hill Karen still grow and spin their own cotton thread, but much of the thread is bought in local markets. Articles including clothing, blankets, and highly prized shoulder bags are woven in the traditional Karen symbolic and decorative patterns unique to each subgroup, for household use and for markets as far away as Chiang Mai and Toungoo. 

 All of our products are dyed naturally.  We do not sell chemically-dyed textiles.  Natural dyeing is an eco-friendly measure and results in subtle colors reminiscent of the forests and gardens from which they originate.  At different times of the year, different natural products are available -- flowers, leaves, bark, etc., so different colors will predominate in different seasons.

Important:  Natural dyes cannot withstand washing with usual harsh laundry detergents.  Items may be machine-washed, but only extremely mild soaps may be used.  Woolite® is one such product; otherwise mild shampoos, inexpensive baby shampoo, for example, are also safe.

The commercially-produced Dulabhatorn T-shirts and polo shirts require no special treatment.