Bhutan's Economy Textile festival 2003 Design competition 2003 Textile exhibition: Rural weavers Bhutan Information Tourist Destinations in Bhutan Bhutan Videos

Her Majesty Ashi Sangay Choden Wagchuck at the exhibition Her Majesty the Queen Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuk, the patron of the Textile Museum, inaugurated the festival. About 22 weavers, dyers and designers from the dzongkhags are showcasing their collections in the country's third annual textile festival at the royal academy of performing arts (RAPA) grounds. The three-day festival includes a national design competition and fashion show that starts this evening. The design competition will be held in traditional, pesar (new designs) and innovative categories in which the winners in the first two categories will be awarded a cash prize of Nu 50,000 and Nu 30,000 each.

Eleven rural weavers from three eastern dzongkhags of Trashiyangtse, Trashigangand Lhuentse are also participating in a separate competition to promote rural weavers.

Mentse martha, lungserma, dromchuchem, mentha, eutham, yathra, ngosham, are among the list of traditional designs being exhibited. Visitors can witness the actual demonstration of weaving and dying and also buy the goods from the stalls at the exhibition.

Models in pesar designs The models, mostly high school students, entertained mixed audience as they sashayed confidently in their local designer wear. The third national textile fashion show, designed as a harmonious blend of tradition and the modern, captivated spectators who found it "spectacular".

Little "miss Thimphus" and "Thimphu aums" also took to the ramp, parading in their best kiras. The fashion show was organised by a non-professional volunteer group and the 18 models were trained for just 10 days for the show.

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A weaver demonstrates at the exhibition Eleven Bhutanese weavers and dyers from the eastern dzongkhags of Trashiyantse, Trashigang and Lhuentse, known for the weaving tradition, demonstrated the fine art of weaving and dying that results in the beautiful kiras, at the third national textile festival in Thimphu. The three-day festival also showcased the various collections of the rural weavers at the exhibition cum sale in Thimphu to promote rural weavers to a wider market.

"My whole family is in the weaving business and I have been weaving since I was eight," said 50-year old Lhemo of Khoma geog in Lhuentse. The rural weavers were also given a podium where a separate competition was organised exclusively among them. Norbu Lhaden of Khoma village took the first prize of Nu 20,000 for the best designs in the rural category.

"The idea was to give them the opportunity to exchange their skills, views and expose them to the new and latest designs that are in demand," said a spokesperson for the Textile Museum. Gurmo ,41, of Jamkhar geog in Trashiyangtse, said that she made good money selling bura textiles for Nu 6,000 - 7,000 a piece. In the evenings during the festival, models walked the ramp, clad in the finest kiras and ghos the weavers and designers had to offer. The best traditional design and the best pesar (new design) were each awarded a first prize of Nu. 50,000 and second prize of Nu 30,000.