Houaphanh Silk Promotion Association
Xam Neua · North · Laos
In Xam Neua and Xam Tai, the heartland of Lao hand weaving, all Lao-Tai women know how to weave, according to a 2015 ethnography. In 2020 Houaphanh silk obtained a geographical indication, and the association that manages it (139 members, nearly all women) upholds a shared specification: mulberry grown without pesticides or fertilisers, natural dyes and its own designs. Tensions: only WIPO describes it, and its members include workshop owners who may reproduce their hierarchy over home-based weavers.
- Led by
- Weavers and workshops of Houaphanh, within the state geographical indications programme, supported by WIPO
- Status
- Active
- Participation
- Community led
- Visitable
- No, it is an association
- Contact
- No public contact on record
- Last reviewed
- 1 October 2026
Verification
Partially verified
This place has at least one source on record and awaits a second one for contrast. Full verification will arrive in the review phase of the atlas.
- Verified two sources including a primary one, or first-hand knowledge of the place
- Partial one source on record
- Unverified starting knowledge, sources pending
Sources
- Reportaje de la OMPI sobre la seda de Laos (2024) ↗ · primary source · consulted on 1 October 2026 · OMPI (Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual)
- Noticia sobre las indicaciones geográficas del té y la seda de Laos (2021) ↗ · secondary source · consulted on 1 October 2026 · The Laotian Times
- Etnografía sobre el tejido en Xam Neua y Xam Tai (2015) ↗ · academic source · consulted on 1 October 2026 · Journal of Lao Studies