I found it by coincidence. About eight years ago in Tokyo, away from the well-known shopping areas I found a special net. The lightness, structure and durability immediately inspired me. It weighs only 35g and can carry up to eight kilos. It left me no peace of mind to explore the craftsmanship behind it more closely, and in doing so I came across a fairytale story.
The shopping nets are made by an indigenous tribe called Khmu in the north of Laos, whose culture goes back thousands of years.
In small, remote villages the bags are completely handmade.
The fibre is obtained from local fast-growing pea bushes. They split, dry and spin the fibre by hand and further process it
into bags of different sizes and different cuts.
It takes about two weeks from the vine to the final product to make a single piece.
- Shopping net that is handmade by the Khmu, an indigenous tribe in northern Laos. The tradition of the tribe goes back several thousand years.
- Ca 42,5 x 33,5 x 0,5 cm, due to the manual work the dimensions may vary slightly
- 35 g
- Maximum load carrying weight ca. 8 kg
- Net made of Jungle Vine®, made from fast growing peas
- Cultivated, harvested, split, dried and knotted in Laos, in 40 different villages
- Production time is 2 weeks per Net
