Click here to download: Annie+Dibble+Supply+or+Demand+Which+is+it+Case+study+of+nettle+cloth+and+Nepal.pdfPAPER: Supply or Demand, Which is it? Case study of nettle cloth and Nepal
Annie Dibble
Independent researcher, NCAD Dublin
Abstract: Using the example of allo (the Himalayan giant nettle) fibre production in Eastern Nepal, this paper addresses some conundrums that educators in particular are beginning to engage with regarding the paradoxical position vis a vis enabling students to generate original designs for material consumption in a market driven world, using sustainable resources. It will ask the questions, ‘What needs are satisfied?’ and, ‘Whose needs are they?’ Through the example of the Nepalese nettle yarn producers, it will provide opportunities for debate regarding the issues now faced through a shifting emphasis from over harvested cotton fields and manmade/synthetic fabrics, to natural/organic sources, in response to the impossible dream: ‘Green fibres sustainably produced by environmentally responsible manufacturers in and ethically sound working environment’.
This paper was presented in the workshop Local Global Dilemmas chaired by Kate Fletcher (reader in sustainable fashion, London College of Fashion). The other presentation in the workshop was Ethics and the Cashmere Industry by Dr Lisa Macintyre (lecturer and director of research, Heriot -Watt University).
