Tshomo, Royal Weaver

29-year-old Tshomo has been weaving since she was nine years old, the age Bhutanese girls are taught to weave. Today, she is one of the finest artisans in the kingdom, weaving ghos and kiras, the Bhutanese traditional dress for the Royal Family. The gho is worn by men and the kira, by women. A true craftswoman, she takes a year to weave three metres of fabric that is required for the garment. No embroidery is done to create patterns externally onto the fabric as all the patterns are woven to create the design. As such, she is only able to weave an inch of fabric a day. Tshomo has woven Kitshothara kira and Shinglo gho for the Royal Wedding of His Majesty the King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, among others.