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"A Breath of Eternity"
lotusLotus is a sacred flower in Buddhism, a symbol of purity and the human potential to achieve enlightenment. One of the most common metaphysical analogies compares the Lotus' perennial rise from a miry environment to faultless beauty to the evolution of consciousness, from instinctive impulses to spiritual liberation. For Buddhists, the lotus flower symbolizes the most exalted state of humans, with the head held high, pure and undefiled in the sun, and the feet rooted in the world of experience.
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Discover the superior quality and charm of Lotus and treat yourself with a piece of timeless beauty. You might wonder why we selected Lotus? Lotus belongs to the various bast fibres used for yarn production. In our region, we have a long history of bast fibres such as hemp and flax. However, the local production of yarn has almost diminished and it is almost impossible to get high quality pure flax that has not been processed and chemically transformed into linen. Collaborating with artisans in Myanmar to work with this pure plant fibre, has helped us to rediscover some old weaving techniques and design qualities that we now apply ourselves to weaving our Berggrat. The Ridge collection. All Lotus scarves are handwoven from selected Lotus yarns in Myanmar and shipped to our Swiss manufacture for quality control and refining. Each scarf is refined by delicate embroideries and a traditional hemstitch that tell stories of our alpine region. Working with Lotus reminds us that it were our artisans who travelled the world to look for new materials and techniques to enrich our own wardrobes and wearing comfort.
The lotus flower (Nelumbo Nucifera) is an ancient water plant that grows wild on lakes all over Southeast Asia, but only in a few places it has been used for fibre making. Lotus resembles some qualities of local bast fibres such as flax, hemp and nettle, but is much finer and superior in natural breathability and lightness.
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For more details on Lotus, please consult our textile study carried out by the Swiss Textile College STC
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"Vigour and Luminosity"
sumptuous eleganceThe production of one square meter pure Lotus fabric requires about 20'000 stems and nearly 40 days of meticulous work from harvesting to rolling, spinning and weaving. While top quality cashmere has a diameter of 12-15 μm, Lotus is characterised by filaments as fine as 3 - 4 μm in diameter making it one of the finest fibres occurring in nature. Handwoven with silk, the result is an extremely fine, supple and naturally breathable fabric that captivates the senses with its nuanced play of colours reconciling the rough raw Lotus with delicate silk.
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In Mynamar, the birth of Lotus weaving is believed to date back more than a century, when a skilled weaver named Sa Oo noticed the fibre quality of lotus flowers blossoming across Inle Lake. The sacred symbolism inspired the devout artisan to create a monk robe for an abbot that she revered. With the opening of Myanmar, the lotus fabric of Inle Lake has travelled beyond the pious sphere and made its grand entrance into the world of luxury fashion. The outcome of the arduous procedures of making are only a few metres of fabric made for a highly discerning clientele.
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Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva form the triumvirate of the supreme deities. While Vishnu is the preserver of the universe, Brahma is responsible for creation. Shiva's role is to destroy the world when it is in a state of chaos, and to recreate order. Brahma was born from the first Lotus Flower, that originated from the naval of Vishnu.
In his reincarnation of Matsya, Vishnu also saved Manu Vaivasvata, who is the progenitor of current humanity. Forewarned about the great flood, Manu Vaivasvata saved humanity by building a boat that carried his family and the seven great yogis to safety.
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Mythology also has it, that Manu Vaivasvata taught humans how to weave: "... out of the lake of millions of lotus flowers, Manu brought the harvest to the people (…) took shiny fine threads from the heart of the lotus, marvellously connected them to a thread and taught them to make a yarn of the highest quality,
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(…) and only the wing of a butterfly is finer and lighter than the divine lotus thread." Given the sacred origin and laborious production, lotus threads have been mostly used for monk robes and coverings for Buddha images.
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