Set in lush tropical gardens and located on the banks of the Mekong, the Living Crafts Center by Ock Pop Tok is the perfect place to learn more about the fascinating world of Lao textiles and handicrafts. Created as a way to allow visitors to observe the impressive skills that go into Lao textiles, the Centre brings the concept of “East Meets West” alive. Follow Maysa for a tour - in Chinese - of the Living Crafts Centre by Ock Pop Tok. We have to warn you though, you'll definitely want to jump into a plane for Luang Prabang afterwards...

Set in lush tropical gardens and located on the banks of the Mekong, the Living Crafts Center by Ock Pop Tok is the perfect place to learn more about the fascinating world of Lao textiles and handicrafts. Created as a way to allow visitors to observe the impressive skills that go into Lao textiles, the Centre brings the concept of “East Meets West” alive. Follow Valérie for a tour - in French - of the Living Crafts Centre by Ock Pop Tok. We have to warn you though, you'll definitely want to jump into a plane for Luang Prabang afterwards...

Set in lush tropical gardens and located on the banks of the Mekong, the Living Crafts Center by Ock Pop Tok is the perfect place to learn more about the fascinating world of Lao textiles and handicrafts. Created as a way to allow visitors to observe the impressive skills that go into Lao textiles, the Centre brings the concept of “East Meets West” alive. Follow Nora for a personal tour - in German - of the Living Crafts Centre by Ock Pop Tok. We have to warn you though, you'll definitely want to jump onto a plane for Luang Prabang afterwards...

Set in lush tropical gardens and located on the banks of the Mekong, the Living Crafts Center by Ock Pop Tok is the perfect place to learn more about the fascinating world of Lao textiles and handicrafts. Created as a way to allow visitors to observe the impressive skills that go into Lao textiles, the Centre brings the concept of “East Meets West” alive. Follow our co-founder Veomanee Douangdala for a personal tour - in Lao - of the Living Crafts Centre by Ock Pop Tok. We have to warn you though, you'll definitely want to jump into a plane for Luang Prabang afterwards...

Set in lush tropical gardens and located on the banks of the Mekong, the Living Crafts Center by Ock Pop Tok is the perfect place to learn more about the fascinating world of Lao textiles and handicrafts. Created as a way to allow visitors to observe the impressive skills that go into Lao textiles, the Centre brings the concept of “East Meets West” alive. Follow our co-founder Joanna Smith for a personal tour - in english - of the Living Crafts Centre by Ock Pop Tok. We have to warn you though, you'll definitely want to jump into a plane for Luang Prabang afterwards...

Designer, artist and eco-entrepreneur Thao Vu is a leader among a pioneering group of young designers who have made Hanoi an emerging creative hub. Her label Kilomet 109 is an eco-fashion brand that puts natural fibres, natural dyes and traditional skills at the heart of its production process.

Combining heritage and contemporary design, Thao is able to conjure shades of indigo and magenta that are at once nostalgic and fresh. Thao describes what it means to be an ‘eco-entrepreneur’ and how her collaborations with Nung An, Tai and Khmer communities inspire and fuel her vision to make clothes from seed to fiber.

Read more on our blog: www.ockpoptok.com/blog/kilomet-109-eco-fashion-hanoi

Learn more about Kilomet 109: www.kilomet109.com

Designer Kavita Parmar wants you to know that “heritage is the new luxury.” She hones in on this point while discussing XTANT, an artisan market she’s co-hosting in Mallorca in June, 2021. Part folk art market, part art installation and a full-on celebration of heritage craft, the event is a refreshing way for artisans to sell and to build momentum and community.

XTANT comes on the heels of TEXTO, the wildly successful first edition, hosted in Mexico City in 2020. Find out what’s in store for XTANT, how to attend in person or virtually, and why Mallorca is the place to be this June!

Read more on our Blog: www.ockpoptok.com/blog/xtant-mallorca

Follow XTANT on instagram: www.instagram.com/_xtant_/

All aboard? Let’s go to Kabul and meet Ramzia Khorami and Maryam Omar, two vanguards bringing Afghan jewellery and Silk Road-era crafts to the contemporary global marketplace. This is a rare opportunity to hear about the experiences of two women within the country’s burgeoning artisan and design sector.

Ramzia and Maryam share the inside story about leaving and returning to Kabul, about what it’s like to be a woman working in Kabul and about their work with Turquoise Mountain (listen to our previous episode on this fabulous heritage and craft organisation!).

Read more on our blog: www.ockpoptok.com/blog/afghan-jewellery-design

Learn more about Turquoise Mountain: www.turquoisemountain.org

Ramzia Jewelry Studio on Instagram: @r_a_jewelery

Shoshana Stewart went from studying astrophysics to rebuilding the streets of Kabul. Literally. These days, Shoshana heads Turquoise Mountain, an innovative organisation that focuses on reviving historic buildings and developing craft entrepreneurs. In this episode, she tells us the ins and outs of running projects in some of the world’s most challenging places.

What did she encounter when she first landed in Kabul? How did Turquoise Mountain mobilise master craftsmen to teach their skill to women? Why are energy, beauty and pride integral to success? Our conversation takes us to Turquoise Mountain’s artisan workshops in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan and we’ll hear how a creative leader and a pioneering organisation found success by following ‘roads less travelled’.

Read more on our blog: www.ockpoptok.com/blog/craft-business-kabul

Learn more about Turquoise Mountain: www.turquoisemountain.org

This story is one of our favourites! We are in Ritoma, a small village in breathtaking grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau, where we meet Kim and Dechen Yeshi. The mother-daughter duo began an ambitious project that brings together a rare fiber called yak khullu, an uncompromising aesthetic and a commitment to uphold the ancestral nomadic traditions of the Tibetan Plateau.

You’ll hear how Kim and Dechen started Norlha, a social enterprise and weaving atelier where local nomads weave beautiful textiles using yak khullu, or yak wool that is on par with cashmere. Norlha’s gorgeous textiles are sought after by everyone from haute couture fashion houses like Hermès and Balmain and local nomads. This is an inspiring and fun story of adventure and incredible faith and determination, a calling to always do the right thing. And, they even have a basketball team!

Read more on our blog: www.ockpoptok.com/blog/norlha-tibetan-plateau

Learn more about Norlha: www.norlha.com

Visit Amdo, Tibet with Norden Travel: www.nordentravel.com