I originally came to Mongolia in 2010 as a Peace Corps volunteer, and lived in a smaller city, Darkhan, for 2 years. After leaving the Peace Corps, I still wanted to stay involved with Mongolia, and started a fashion label creating and selling Mongolian cashmere clothes. (You can still see the Kickstarter campaign I made for that label in my history, but you’re definitely going to cringe a bit!) My background is in finance and business development, not fashion, so the endeavor was hard for me from the start. For a few years shops were selling our items in cities all over the world, including Tokyo, NYC, London, and Paris. I learned a ton about manufacturing here in Mongolia and also about the fashion industry, but in the end, it didn’t quite work out. We stopped making new lines in 2015, but I’ve still been living and working in Mongolia, waiting for the right projects and partners to keep promoting Mongolia and its incredible products.

After moving back to Mongolia permanently 2014, I’m currently going through my 5th Mongolian winter! I work teaching English to make a living, and use my free time to develop ULA + LIA. My biggest goal in life is to be able to focus on my own business exclusively, and expand ULA + LIA into a lifestyle brand that showcases the incredible raw materials and workmanship that can be found in Mongolia.

Last updated: April 27, 2019 07:02

This year, I’m using a fulfillment service in Hong Kong to ship to all of my customers. The per reward shipping is a bit more expensive compared to last year, but the overall price of the yarn + shipping is much cheaper than it would be if I were sending everything to America first. Last year, shipping the order to America first and then delivering individually to customers was much more expensive in the end. I don’t make any profit on shipping, so as you buy more items the shipping cost will be much cheaper.

For those customers in the EU, I’m sorry, but I wasn’t able to find a reasonable way to import first into the EU, and then distribute from inside the EU to avoid you guys personally paying taxes. For items sent from Hong Kong, you will most likely need to pay taxes and a handling charge to receive your package. (check your country, but around 10 euros and 20% of the price and shipping cost).

If this is a deal breaker for you, please send me a message and let me know. I am planning a trip home to America for thanksgiving, and I will have some more options to send your reward at that time.

Last updated: April 27, 2019 07:06

First and foremost, I’m raising money to make the minimum requirements for spinning. Any profits or surplus funding will go directly into inventory to continue providing yarn to customers after the campaign.

Last updated: April 27, 2019 07:06

All of our fibers come from free ranged animals raised by traditional nomadic herders in Mongolia. The unique, bitterly cold Mongolian winters force these animals to produce super warm fibers to sustain them through the winters. In addition to being soft, Mongolian fibers tend to be longer than most comparable fibers in other regions of the world. Longer fibers make stronger yarn that is more resilient to pilling, letting your soft, warm, lovely items last.

After the great response in our first campaign, I made the decision to work with cooperatives that work directly with herders to procure fibers. The fiber is a little more expensive, but the cooperative only works with herders that practice sustainable herding practices, so it’s definitely worth it in the end. They also hold trainings for things like proper brushing technique to help increase fiber quality.

Last updated: April 27, 2019 07:06

Not at all! Animals are brushed when collecting their wool. Sheep are sheered, but still aren’t hurt at all when collecting their lovely wool. Herders also wait until the spring when the animals naturally start to shed their fibers so the animals aren’t left in the cold.

Last updated: April 27, 2019 07:06

I suggest using a gentle, wool friendly detergent (e.g. woolite) and hand washing. Through our manufacturing process, the fibers may still carry some oils that are used to make the best yarn possible. By washing the fibers, you can make sure your gauges are correct, but also loosen the fibers and yarn a bit to maximize their natural softness. If you join our group on ravelry, you might be able to get some better advice about cashmere and wool care.

Last updated: April 27, 2019 07:06

For our main goals, we are starting with natural colors. For cashmere, we will be offering the natural a lovely heather grey, followed by a crimson for a stretch goal. For yak wool, we have Natural Dark Chocolate and then a Natural Milk Chocolate colors. For camel, we are offering the Natural Sandstone. Sheep is going to start with a natural mix/mélange, followed by a navy for a stretch goal.

For camel and yak, we will only be offering the natural colors. Due to their darker natural colors, the fibers are much more difficult to die and require a much higher level of processing and bleaching to accept colors. Unlike cashmere, the few guard hairs still remaining in the fiber also don’t take dye, so it doesn’t come out as uniform. The natural lighter cashmere does not require the bleaching and processing necessary to accept dye, which keeps our fibers fluffier, softer, and longer lasting, even when colored.

Last updated: April 27, 2019 07:06

As a short answer, our cashmere and yak wool shouldn’t cause any reactions for those with wool allergies. Camel wool may cause the same allergies as sheep wool.

For those interested in a longer answer, get comfortable!

On the pictures I have of the goats and the yak on the campaign, you can see the difference of wools between what’s on their backs and what’s on their bellies. The really fine, soft, wispy fibers you can see on their bellies is cashmere (on the goat) and yak down, or cashmere, or something else on the yaks. It should really be called yak cashmere, but cashmere legally has to be from a goat, so we still call it yak wool or sometimes yak down.

The process is really the same for both animals, in that you brush their bellies and chins, and then separate the thick guard hairs from the cashmere/down, leaving only the softest fibers. This is different from sheep’s wool where the animal is sheered and the entire fleece is used.

I also say that to get into wool allergies. Some, albeit a very small % of people, have a true wool allergy. Specifically, they are allergic to the lanolin (or oil) that is found in wool. People with a true lanolin allergy will get a runny nose, break out in hives, sneeze, etc. The same type of response you’d get to cats if you were allergic. Camel wool also has a very high content of a coating similar to lanolin, which will cause reactions to those with true wool allergies. That being said, the lanolin also contributes to the qualities in camel wool that make it so durable and great for active people.

However, most of the people that have reactions to wool just have a reaction because the fibers are too coarse and rough, and aggravate the skin. If it’s the latter, a lot of people that are wool sensitive do not have sensitivity to cashmere and yak down because the fibers are much softer and finer, and don’t prickle or aggravate the skin.

For true wool/lanolin allergies, lanolin only comes from sheep, so cashmere and yak wool don’t have any lanolin and are both considered to be hypo-allergenic and appropriate for those with sheep wool allergies. That being said, some people that have super sensitive skin still find even cashmere uncomfortable on bare skin, so everybody has their own preferences.

In terms of thickness, yak wool is only slightly thicker/more course than cashmere, but both are well under the thickness that starts to cause aggravation and itchiness. Camel wool is going to be much closer to sheep wool in composition and coarseness, so I’d assume those with sheep wool allergies would also experience the same with camel wool.

Last updated: April 27, 2019 07:06

YES! Just add the price to whichever reward you select, and you will have a chance to select multiple rewards during our survey after the campaign ends. If the extra weight bumps you up a shipping class, you will be able to add the extra money to account for that as well.

Last updated: April 27, 2019 07:06

YES! We will be organizing our campaign with the help of backerkit. During the survey at the end of the campaign, you will be able to combine rewards into a single package. For example, our 500g package might be $10 to ship, but two together will be much less than $20. I promise I’m not marking up shipping prices, and will pass on the same price to customers.

During my first campaign, I made mistakes with shipping prices that ended up really squeezing my margins and ultimately made me miss the opportunity to build an inventory after the campaign. I’m doing my best to avoid all those issues this time around and make sure this project will be sustainable. I know the shipping prices can look a bit steep, but I promise shipping this way keeps the overall price for customers cheaper.

Last updated: April 27, 2019 07:06