Zardozi

What:

Patous (throws)

Where:

Pakistan

Style signature:

Signature style: Hand-woven lambswool patous finished with traditional fine-spun borders and available in a range of incredibly soft colours inspired by of the landscapes of the tribal areas where most of the weavers live.

Backstory:

A non-profit organization based in Kabul, Zardozi was set up over 26 years ago to support the thousands of Afghan refugees fleeing across the Pakistan border to escape civil war. Many of these Afghan families still live in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan, an area now known as Khyber-Pakhtunwa. Zardozi originally focused on buying from women embroiderers, giving them their first opportunity for financial independence. The word “zardozi” means “golden stitches” in Persian. Zardozi now works with both Afghan and Pakistani tailors, weavers and embroiderers who delicately stitch and weave every item by hand. The weavers have little or no formal education, but are independent and mostly male.

Inspiration:

To use local skills and native textiles to produce beautiful, high-quality products which support the livelihoods of thousands of families and the education of future generations.