Fortifying with courage and going all in to fight for the best: how traditional Phugpa craft breaks through from Tibet to Paris?

In the Shayang town of Jinshan District, Shanghai, there is a handmade cashmere brand named “Sandriver” (English name). It has been invited to participate in the Paris Fashion Week for eight consecutive years since its establishment 13 years ago. In 2023, it became “popular” due to a fashion show held at the foot of a snow mountain in Jiangze, Xigaze, Tibet.

“Sandriver” refers to the river in the desert. The integration of Tibetan knitted fabric (pǔ lu)技艺 and Sandriver cashmere meets the aesthetic tastes of global consumers and allows us to see a broader international market,” said Guo Xiuling, the founder of Sandriver, who is about to go to France to participate in the 2025 Paris Fashion Home Design Exhibition. “Our products are well received by customers. Although we sell at a higher price than in China, our orders are still booming.”

Recently, earthquakes have occurred in continuous succession in Tibet’s Zhandan County in Xigaze City and Maduo County in Qinghai’s Guoluo Prefecture, which has also attracted the attention of Guo Xiuling. Because Sandriver has 10 handmade workshops in Tibet and Qinghai regions. “(After the earthquake), our Tibet company and Shanghai company immediately donated and called every student to check on their condition. We didn’t worry until we confirmed that everyone was safe,” said Guo Xiuling.

Sandriver cashmere founder Guo Xiuling provided by the interviewee

Industrial support for Tibet to help realize the iteration and renewal of Tibetan knitted fabric

The word “Pulu” is derived from Tibetan loanwords, referring to handmade woolen fabrics produced in Tibetan areas. It has the characteristics of being sturdy, wear-resistant, wind-resistant, and bright in color. The Pulu craft has been handed down for generations in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and has a history of over 2,000 years.

The Pulu produced in Jiangze County, Xigaze City, is the best quality among Pulu products. It is made from rare fine down with a diameter of 14.3-14.9 microns, which is manually woven and colored through traditional machines and techniques. In 2009, the Jiangze Pulu knitting skills were selected as the自治区级非遗保护项目，and the further processing of Pulu into Tibetan belt making skills was listed in the national intangible cultural heritage list. However, today, Pulu faces difficulties due to limitations in material quality,单一的产品样式， and the interruption of skill inheritance. A local craftswomen once recalled: “Aga (a Tibetan word for sister) works hard for a whole day and only earns a few dozen yuan. It’s easy for the craft to be passed down to no one.”

In March 2023, the Shanghai Aid Tibet cadre liaison group Jiangze group reached out to Guo Xiuling, hoping to introduce her team and brand to help realize the iteration and renewal of Jiangze Pulu. Guo Xiuling agreed and cooperated with Jiangze County to establish the “Agang Gesang workshop” and set up a Tibetan Pulu research and development center in Jinshan District of Shanghai. She also set up a Shanghai craft Pulu studio in Xigaze, Tibet, to innovate processes such as row knitting, foot pedaling, color matching, and improve traditional Pulu textile machines. Modern technology was integrated into traditional crafts to develop daily items that meet modern people’s needs, such as scarves, shawls, cushions, etc.

“In this Pulu industry chain, everyone is a beneficiary, which is also what I am happiest about,” said Guo Xiuling. For example, Gesang Droma has never attended school and cannot even write her own Tibetan name, but she is diligent and has quickly become a rising star in the new Pulu craftspeople. Her handcrafted Pulu works have been sold in France’s top store Le Marceau Couture. Currently, Guo Xiuling is busy preparing for the 2025 Paris Fashion Home Design Exhibition, where she will showcase new products such as cashmere blankets and cashmere coats to showcase the latest achievements of Sandriver’s “Pulu revitalization plan.”

The recent earthquakes in Zhandan County, Tibet, and Maduo County, Qinghai, also made her anxious. “Our Tibet company and Shanghai company immediately donated materials and money under the organization of the Tibet Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. At the same time, we organized customers and people around us to donate mainly for post-disaster reconstruction,” said Guo Xiuling. When the Maduo earthquake occurred, there were 40 students from Maduo County who were receiving training at her factory in Jinshan, Shanghai. The company immediately gathered them and asked about their families’ situation. They also contacted each student who had learned