MAURO AND SPICE BY JAN KATH
The Himalayan Giant Nettle known as ‘Allo’ grows in the forests in the foothills of Nepal. It is two to three metres tall and gives a much longer, stronger fibre than the common stinging nettle ‘Urtica Dioica’ found in Europe. It has been used for centuries in Himalayan textile production, usually growing in areas that are hard to reach at heights of up to 2,500 meters, where mountain farmers harvest it by hand. Then, it is processed into a coarse yarn.
Image: Jan Kath, MAURO AND SPICE, Blueberry Border, 2ply nettle, 1ply silk. Image: portrait of Jan Kath.
In Jan Kath's new collection, MAURO AND SPICE, he combines this nettle with shiny silk and natural highland wool from the Annapurna mountain range. This rustic material, too, tells its own very unique story that is as much visually compelling as it is haptically accessible: It tells of sheep that live in challenging conditions on the high slopes of the Himalayas.
Image: Jan Kath, MAURO AND SPICE, Spice, grey.
The area lying in the rain shadow of the high mountains is barren and dry. In winter, nighttime temperatures often drop down to minus 20 degrees Celsius. As a result, the wool has particularly long, elastic fibres that naturally contain a high amount of lanolin. Manual processing – carding and spinning by hand –
allows this wool to retain its authenticity.
Image: Jan Kath, MAURO AND SPICE, Checkerboard, grey.
Read about Himalayan Giant Nettle allo in Selvedge issue 98.
Find out more about MAURO AND SPICE by Jan Kath:
www.jan-kath.com
@jankathofficial
Images courtesy of Jan Kath.