Stories from the Himalayas

I first heard of Looms of Ladakh when the pandemic hit in 2020. We were looking for artisans and artisanal cooperatives to raise funds for and someone had suggested their name. Fortunately they were well looked after by their founders, but I continued to follow their extraordinary work since then.

- NAMRATA ZAKARIA

Looms of Ladakh is actually a farm-to-fashion brand, if ever there was one. It is herder-artisan-first, which means it provides work to its pastoralists and makes them co-owners of the brand. Its founder brought together women weavers of Ladakh (Ladakh is one of few places in India where women weave. The rest of India has only male weavers, while the women are only an extra pair of hands) to create a pashmina label. Pashmina, the soft wool of the Ladakhi mountain goat, is a precious commodity in the world of luxury fashion. Few Indian companies work with pashmina, as it is hard to source and thus very expensive. Looms of Ladakh is special not only for its quality of pashmina, but because it is an all-women enterprise.

I’ve seen much of the wares of Looms of Ladakh at various pop-ups in Mumbai. They are soft, but thick pieces of woollen wear—much like the stuff one’s grandmother would knit. Neutral greys and beiges, thick ear muffs, socks, caps and the like.