Yak wool takes to the runway in Maduo

With the pasture grass turning into a natural runway, over 40 Tibetan models showcased more than 100 pieces of clothing primary made of yak wool during a fashion show staged on June 28 in Maduo county, Guoluo Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Northwest China's Qinghai province.

Featuring yak wool as the primary fabric, the show initiated by the Shanghai-based fashion brand Sandriver is a latest cooperation between Shanghai and Guoluo.

Guo Xiuling, founder of Sandriver, is expecting to help turn the yak wool into fashion pieces, with the aim to empower the local nomads to find jobs and gain income in places close to their homes, as well as to promote local economic development and traditional fashion.

Located in the heartland of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, Guoluo Tibetan autonomous prefecture has an average altitude of 4,000 meters above sea level. Yak plays a symbolic and critical role in local residents' daily life and production.

Yak wool has long been an essential material used in making yurts and clothing in Tibetan ethnic areas. During the down season, a yak produces an average of no more than 300 grams of down. After cleaning and post-processing, the output of yak wool is significantly reduced. Thus the yak wool is of high quality as well as high economic and cultural value.