Silk Turns Heads Abroad

Nick Cumming-Bruce for the International Herald Tribune tells of the work of Weaves (Cambodia).

A tiny community at the remote northern village of Tbeng Meanchey, half of them maimed by land mines or polio, are making a hit selling silk products. The approach is also setting examples as to how aid can be sustainable.

Aid workers fear Cambodia is hooked on donor handouts that still account for half the national budget.... Much remains to be done to adjust the Cambodian managers and workers from an nongovernmental approach to the harsh realities of the commercial world, but the idea has already taken root.

These scarves now sell in New York's upmarket ABC Home & Carpets, the Smithsonian Museum's Freer-Sackler Galleries, and San Francisco's Craft and Folk Art Museum. According to Nick Cumming-Bruce, Burberry in London has expressed interest and an approach to Armani in Milan is planned for mid-year.

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