Anni Kristenson
ANNI KRISTENSEN, founder of Himalaya Yarns, has a truly socially conscious view of her business. She has travelled in the Himalayas for many years and has a deep understanding of the people and their crafts. Plus, her yarns are beautiful.
DORA: Tell about the origins of the company and why you started it.
ANNI: Himalaya Yarn started in 1996 when I came in contact with a Tibetan family in Nepal and together we brought recycled silk yarn to the US knitting market. Starting the company was a completely easy and painless decision for me. It combined everything I love to do: work with kind, generous and wonderful people, and knit, travel and be surrounded with beautiful colors all the time. And it was a natural succession from what I had previously been doing - working with textiles, handicrafts etc.
in Asia since my early 20s.
DORA: When did your involvement with Asia begin?
ANNI: My first trip to Asia took place when I was 21 and travelled overseas from Europe to Southeast Asia, through countries that I wouldn't dare go to now. But the result was that I fell in love with Asia in general
My husband at that time (now ex) and I started our first business venture in Afghanistan, where we bought 50 kilograms of hand knitted socks and shipped them to my brother in Denmark to sell, so we could make enough money to keep travelling. Later we became more serious about it and actually ended up with a real business, producing clothing in Indonesia and Thailand. Indigenous weavings and baskets and wood carvings remained a big part of the business as well. I was primarily involved in the clothing end of things.
DORA: Where do the fibers come from?
ANNI: The first yarn we made was recycled silk yarn - all fibers are still waste fibers. Some come from old saris, but at this point in time it's more likely that your recycled silk yarn is made from industrial silk fiber waste collected from weaving mills in India. Any time a roll of fabric is cut off a weaving machine there is a certain amount of threads and fabric wasted. These are mostly what we use. The fabric is torn apart and integrated with the fiber and spun into yarn.
We have gradually expanded the business into other fibers and also to other countries. In Laos we are now working with hill tribes who are in the process of learning to raise silk worms instead of opium poppies. This project is still in it's infancy, but judging from the silk yarns we have received so far, there is tremendous potential here. We have the yarn completely made to order, raising the worms specifically for making our yarn. The raw silk fiber is collected by the hill tribes and sold to my Laotian partner for processing. I work with a bio-chemist in Laos who specializes in dying silk using only natural and traditional dyes. This is a completely "from scratch" project involving a lot of learning and experimenting.
DORA: Do the farmers welcome the idea of making the switch from poppies to silk worms?
ANNI: I would hope it is a welcome change. It also allows more integration into Laotian society in general. The hill tribes in Laos were pro-American during the Vietnam era and many were killed or left the country
when the communists took over (and they still rule it), so hopefully this is also part of a reconciliation.
DORA: Can you tell me more about the traditional dying methods?
ANNI: The traditional dyes that we are using create red-purple tones and yellow/ gold -brown tones, as well as blues from indigo. We use indigo, butea and laker. Indigo is well know here. Butea comes from a flowering tree and laker is similar to cochenille (a small beetle). Colors created from other plants are traditional as well, but less stable and more unpredictable, so right now we are staying with these options.
DORA: How do you connect to the farmers, animal breeders etc. who harvest the fibers?
ANNI: I've worked in Asian countries for many years and have a lot of connections at this point in my life. Connecting directly with the producers seems to never have been a problem and is in fact one of the most enjoyable aspects of this business.
DORA: So what are the people like that you do business with?
ANNI: Asian economies have been booming over the last many years and Asian countries have become very accustomed to seeing and dealing with foreigners travelling around. You find many people in Asia starting small family-owned businesses catering to foreigners, whether it is running small hostels
or making earrings or t-shirts. Relatively small investments are required and several family members often band together on the venture. I've done business with people who are just starting out and people who have been in business school in the US. It varies a lot and really comes down to who is most enterprising.
DORA: Tell about the manufacturing of the yarns -- how is the silk hand-spun?
ANNI: When we first started working in Nepal, we did actually have some women using drop spindles to make the recycled silk yarn because that is what they were used to working with. Over the years, as demand has grown, we have changed to spinning wheels that are hand operated. This is much more efficient and makes it possible for the spinners to produce more yarn, more consistently and therefore make more money. In Laos we are using spinning wheels. Silk spinning and weaving is a traditional craft in Laos.
DORA: So how many people are actually involved in making the yarn?
ANNI: That varies a lot because most are working only part time while doing other things, such as farming. In Nepal we have had as many as 250 people involved, as spinners, knitters, sewers etc. In Laos we only have a few people so far.
DORA: Is there a "socially conscious" component to your company? Likewise, environmentally conscious factors?
ANNI: I sure hope so. The demand for our yarn creates jobs for local people, who are often otherwise living at or below the poverty level as most of these people are "unskilled" workers. Trust me, any one growing up in a so called third world country is not "unskilled" - it takes a lot to of skill to survive when every meal requires a personal effort.
Although you only see me, keep in mind that unless these people in Nepal, Laos and other countries did not want to work with me I would not have a business.
As for environmentally conscious - we started using recycled fibers at a time when recycling was still a new concept. We still use only natural fibers and when possible, as in the Laotian project, we also use natural dyes. One of my most popular yarns is made from the Himalayan Nettle plant and is still processed according to traditional methods - using sand, ashes and corn husks.
The basics of my business has always been to keep it hands-on and low tech, because that is what makes it possible to work with and involved local people in remote areas of the world using techniques that they are already familiar with so that they can immediately start making an income.
DORA: Can you tell me more about the way of life in these countries?
ANNI: Most people in the US have no real idea of how good life is. Just imagine if you did not have running water, let alone hot running water! Or if you did not have electricity! But a large part of the world still lives without these things that we take completely for granted. Or what if you are unable to read and write. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world and has suffered with a civil war that has lasted a very long time and kept a lot of foreign investments and tourist away. However, if you were to visit, you would no doubt find the people of Nepal to be kind and helpful and know a lot more about your country than we know about their country. Just because you are poor does not make you unintelligent.
DORA: Well, it sounds like you have found a fantastic niche that benefits people on both sides of the globe.
ANNI: I am really just doing what I love to do and hoping that others will find something to like as well.