Name of Product: Silk and Felt Scarf
Product Type: Handicraft
MP Region: Central Asia
Country of origin: Kyrgyz Republic
Name of the Mountain Area: Barskoon, Issyk-Kul
Altitude Range: Class 4: elevation 1 500-2 500 m and slope ≥ 2
Narrative label: This Silk & Felt Scarf is handmade by a group of Kyrgyz mountain women. Finely decorated, their scarves are entirely composed of local sheep’s wool and handwoven silk. Scarves are often gifted to thank hosts and relatives for an invite. Kyrgyz artisans have roots in a nomadic mountain tribal culture that has a long tradition of felt production. Crafting felt decorations on scarves keeps their history and cultural heritage alive.

Producer
“Topchu” Art Group is an association of 7 women, living in a marginalized mountain area, that are engaged in the design and manufacture of silk and felt scarves. Topchu in Kyrgyz means button. The women chose this name because in the past, buttons were made of silver, so only the wealthy could afford them, but today everyone can have buttons. Traditionally, grandmothers gift every newborn with a button from their jacket to keep as a talisman.

Tradition
Felt and silk are seamlessly fused using a traditional technique called ‘wet felting’ that has been handed down over centuries by Kyrgyz mountain peoples. The fibres are merged by pressing the wet wool on the silk and shrinking it to the desired shape. Being non-woven, felt can be shaped as easily as wet clay. The scarves are coloured using natural dyes made from mountain herbs and flowers, walnut, apricot and apple leaves, onion, pomegranate skin and spruce cones.

Territory
The sheep’s wool comes from Barskoon village, Kyrgyz Republic, located at 1753 metres, and the woven silk comes from Margilan city in Fergana Valley, Uzbek Republic. The road passing through Barskoon Valley belonged to the famous Silk Road, the ancient network of trade routes that enabled cultural exchange between Asia and Europe for centuries.
Producer: "Topchu” Art Group
Contact person: Ada Rasulova; [email protected]
Labelled since: 03.07.2017
Label latest verification: 10.04.2017
Type of producer: Independent, Producers organization, Women association
Smallholder: no
Size of company: 1-10 people
Distribution channel: Export, Local market, Retailer
Traditional product/production: Yes, the traditional method of "wet-felting" is used to create these modern products.
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