“What we see is artisans are in need of help. Artisanal craft is endangered and there are very few projects supporting the artisans and artisanal craft. It is not just about distributing items, it is also about upskilling, so that they are producing international quality crafts and these designers who work with them are working to pay a higher premium for quality craftsmanship – then the craftsmen benefits from improved livelihoods and improved incomes.”

Turquoise Mountain was established in 2006 by His Majesty King Charles III to revive historic architecture and traditional crafts. Beginning in Afghanistan, the organisation now operates in countries across the Middle East, and in Myanmar.

Turquoise Mountain came to Myanmar in 2015. Here the organisation focuses on restoring heritage buildings in Yangon, as well as supporting artisans throughout the country, with a focus on traditional textiles, jewellery-making and – most recently – lacquerware. In addition to providing the tools and resources they need to work – looms, yarns and weaving accessories – Turquoise Mountain provides training to the artisans to ensure that their craft competes in the international marketplace. This work continues despite the fact that many of the weavers that Turquoise Mountain supports are living in areas that are wracked by conflict. It is not uncommon for weavers to have to flee their village – and their looms – to escape flighting. And then only return to their textiles days or even weeks later. Some are still not able able to return home.

Previously occupying a small office in downtown Yangon, in 2022, Turquoise Mountain initiated a move to a grand but decrepit house on Pho Sein Road in Bahan Township. Bahan was a sleepy residential area during the British era, but has now been absorbed by Yangon’s urban sprawl. The Turquoise Mountain building at Pho Sein, now beautifully restored, stands-out like a jewel. Pho Sein houses not only the Turquoise Mountain offices but also their goldsmiths’ workshop, an atelier,  a weaving education centre, an environmentally friendly model dye lab, a boutique and a small café.

Here on the terrace at Pho Sein, as the monsoon rains fell, Sampan’s Managing Director Bertie Alexander and Head of Operations Ko Kaung Pyae Sone, sat to speak with Turquoise Mountain’s Myanmar Country Director Win Ma Ma Aye. Sitting amongst the elegance of their most recent work of restoration, we started by asking her about how Turquoise Mountain goes about reviving urban heritage.

In the restoration of buildings we always have a community-driven approach. The residents must be interested in it, otherwise we can restore it but it will be a failure. Their buy-in is extremely important. If they are going to demolish the building eventually, it will not work. So there are a lot of community consultations.

Our first project was next to the Armenian Church in downtown [Yangon]. [We] had to discuss with all the residents: there were Muslims, Buddhists … They all had to come together and agree to it. It was a challenging process. Some may have preferred to demolish it. So, how do we convince them that this is deserving [of restoration]? It’s about people coming together and agreeing to maintain this building and the future of the building. So only when we get this agreement, we continue with the restoration projects.

Tell us about the Tourist Burma building. Did Turquoise Mountain manage the entire project or were you working with local firms?

Tourist Burma was our landmark project. The Yangon Regional Government saw our first restoration project that followed international practices. They saw that we were a credible international organisation restoring buildings, and we would stick to international conservation practices. This is different from an interventionist approach, you know, going to create something artistic inside or outside the buildings with irrelevant materials. We generally don’t do this. For example, instead of enamel paint, we use traditional lime plaster, lime motor and coloured lime wash for breathable and durable brickwork.

We managed the project and worked with a British architectural firm as well as local contractors and architectural firms. I think we also had Australian architects and so it was really a big group. That project was basically a training, an upskilling project of the young architects, engineers and builders of the Myanmar companies. We did not need to train the owners of the Myanmar firms, they have studied and worked abroad. But they had younger teams who needed exposure and experience. All of them came back and worked together for this project [at Pho Sein].

Tell us about the Pho Sein building. What was it like when you first found it?

Well, it was completely flooded! The current owner was basically filling up the land to prevent flooding. So in order to prevent flooding, they did quick fixes in the compound instead of clearing the drains, or talking to the neighbours to say “don’t block the drain”. In the basement I think we had about one to two feet of water even in the dry season. It wasn’t healthy for the building! So we had to fix this poor drainage issue and clean and maintain drains in the entire neighbourhood. We had to do all these by ourselves.

When was this building built?

We estimate [in the] 1920s. The building’s original owners were Indians, maybe Burmese-Indians. Then a Burmese-Chinese family bought it from them. They now live next door. So we are neighbours which is really nice.

And that second family hadn’t lived here for some time?

The elderly mother was living here. She was terminally ill. She was in her 80s. She didn’t want to move out of this building. She lived with her two maids and they didn’t even bother to go upstairs because it was just too large to maintain. They didn’t go downstairs to the basement, so everything was in ruin. I have a feeling that she didn’t want to leave because she was worried about the building being demolished … She had a lot of fond memories: she raised all her children here.

We promised her that we are going to give it a new life. The building will live! And then she said, “OK, fine, I will move!” She then moved to live with her daughter next door. Throughout the restoration project, she was just so happy that we were giving this building a new life. So she donated food to the construction workers: “you guys have breakfast”, “you guys have tea”, “you guys have coffee!” And then she peacefully passed away before it was finished … But she saw it coming back to life and I think she knew that we were really making an effort to give it a life.

What are the main crafts that Turquoise Mountain focuses on in Myanmar?

Handwoven textiles with heritage designs; handmade jewellery; and lacquerware. We expanded into lacquerware in 2023 / 2024. Myanmar lacquerware is superb and lack of tourism is affecting lacquer workshops and artisans. When we talked to the workshop owners, [they told us that their] artisans are now plucking peanuts and sesame because there are no jobs. Can you imagine how many [workshops] have closed down?

Where in Myanmar is weaving more prominent? It is mainly amongst the Bamar [majority ethnic group] or amongst the Chin, Kachin and other ethnic groups?

Weaving is everywhere in Myanmar. This is one of the reasons [Turquoise Mountain is] here. This is a living museum of handweaving! In Myanmar, when you go to Mon State, they have weaving. Also, weaving is found in Mandalay, Sagaing, Amarapura, Chin … It is the thread that connects our identity as Myanmar. The techniques and designs are different, but we are connected through weaving.

Also, the intersection between migration and weaving is interesting. For example, frame loom weaving is largely found in Mandalay, Sagaing and Shwebo. Then we found a lot of them in Myitkyina [in Myanmar’s Kachin State]. They even have a quarter called “Bamar Quarter”. There are hundreds of Bamar weaving entrepreneurs who have migrated from Shwebo and Sagaing to Kachin and are weaving Kachin designs.

In terms of designs, they all vary. It is like a living weaving design bank. What we find very sophisticated is Acheik. When we showcase it in London and Paris, people said they have never seen anything like this. Acheik [refers to] a particular weaving technique. “Cheik” means interlinking – we are interlinking hundreds of shuttles to create the design.

And Acheik is mainly found in Mandalay?

In Sagaing and Amarapura. It arrived Mandalay because of the former royal family.

Yes, I read that in previous times Acheik was reserved only for the royal family.

Yes, that is what our understanding too. And it’s quite expensive. Even nowadays, a very good quality Acheik can be as expensive as 1,000 US dollars for two yards.  The workmanship, the quality … and [they weave only] two inches per day …

The difference designs in Myanmar falls upon ethnic lines? Different ethnic groups have different designs?

Yes, they have their own heritage designs. Sometimes in Chin State and northern Rakhine, it overlaps because Chin has a lot of sub-ethnic groups: Mro Chin, Khumi Chin etc. … Sometime the Mro Chin will say “this is our design”, and the other Chin will be like “no, this is our design”. We are not the arbiter of which design belongs to which ethnic group. We just document what the artisans are saying, and what they learnt from their ancestors. It is not just in Myanmar. For example, in Guatemalan weaving, some of their designs looks similar to Kachin as well, or Chin, and the designs in Bhutan … So Intellectual Property for designs is quite challenging.

In Nagaland, I know that weaving is exclusively done by the women. It is actually regarded as taboo for a man to do it. What about in Myanmar? Is it only women?

No, in Myanmar, men also weave. In weaving value chain, there are warping, loom preparations, and then loom carpentry. Loom carpenters are mostly men; warping is done by both men and women;  and weaving is done by both men and women. In northern Rakhine, there was a young man but unfortunately he passed away. He was in his early 20s and he was one of our best weavers. He wasn’t discriminated against and he was very proud of his weaving. And we also find men weavers in Inle as well. But you are right, they are a minority.

Are these weavers mostly weaving just for themselves and their families or commercially?

It depends on the type of weaving. If it is back strap weaving, they are doing it as a hobby and for their family. But if it is frame loom, they weave for themselves but they also do it as a business. Frame loom is largely found in Mandalay, Sagaing, Shwebo, Rakhine, Mon, Bago and Inle Lake. Ethnic groups like Kayin, Palaung, Chin, Mro, Khumi, Kachin, they do backstrap weaving.

And is this knowledge of weaving dying out in Myanmar?

When you go to a weaving workshop you will see young trainees. At the same time, in Sagaing, particularly with the conflict, a lot of people are migrating [out of the country].

We have found a lot of people who have decided to [stay] in Myanmar and want to learn weaving. Learning weaving is part of our tradition. In the city, or in your country, we will send children for English classes, or Maths classes, painting classes, violin classes … In Sagaing, Mandalay, Amarapura, for example, during summer holidays or weekends or after school hours, children either learn weaving with their mother or grandmother, or they go to a master weaver to learn it. They start from a very young age.

But there has to be a market. There has to be an income from the learning. We have to think of hand weaving as a craft education. One cannot learn weaving in a day. For Acheik, it has to be five years minimum of learning to become a master.

How do you work with these weavers?

Varied forms. In Mandalay and Sagaing, we primarily work with weaving businesses – they are master weavers themselves. So one of the women weaver-entrepreneur we work with lives in Sagaing, in the heart of the conflict, and she has a weaving workshop in her own village. She is also managing 100 looms in Sagaing. In Amarapura, we work with another master weaver who manages about 50 looms.

There is the whole culture about the master-learner relationship. A master will take about two to 10 trainees so they generally have two to 10 looms. When the trainees are accomplished, some trainees will continue to work together with the master. And a couple of them will set up their own loom or workshop which the master usually supports. That ecosystem is really beautiful.

Turquoise Mountain sends them designs to work on?

Yes, in a way. But we also learn designs from them. It is both ways. We do weave contemporary designs but our focus is heritage design, or heritage-inspired contemporary design. We don’t want to go way out of Myanmar heritage designs because our mission is to promote Myanmar designs and workmanship. So our design-, textile-  and weaving-experts will consult with the weavers. In Acheik there are over 30 fundamental motifs. We also have an in-house traditional artist who studied only traditional painting techniques and designs so he gives inputs about creating new designs based on traditional motifs.

But you can complete bespoke orders?

We can. But largely the designs are based on our design bank. Our bank comes from what we see in Myanmar, what we learn from the weavers and from weaving schools.

Our objective is that the weavers understand the quality that the international designers are looking for. That is where we come in. Also, choosing the right yarn for the right product. You cannot use a piece of fabric for longyis in upholstering. In handweaving, you cannot fix the design once you have finished a metre. So, you really have to check every inch every day so you have design consistency and accuracy. We give input in colours as well. Once when our textile expert first arrived Myanmar, weavers said, “this is mango green and this is olive green and this is coconut green” – and he said we cannot go on like this! We use international colour codes. Even when we are dyeing, we must use the right formula to get the right colour. Colour variation is acceptable to only a small percentage. So this is where we add value to Myanmar handweaving sector.

How does the training work?

We have training modules developed by our textile and weaving expert. Each should last about six months minimum. We also have rigorous assessments. Artisans have to pass it.

So all the weavers you work with have passed this assessment?

Yes. The government has weaving institutions but they are based in the cities: Amarapura, Taunggyi, and Myitkyina. But what about the weavers in northern Rakhine, the Mro weavers? How about the weavers in Inle? Only a few can go to Taunggyi. So we are working in the community. We rent looms in weaving workshops so that they can learn.

It is not just weaving, it is the entire process. The quality of the weaving depends on the type of yarn, on the warping process. There is quality control involved in every step. And the process creates a lot of jobs. Our textile expert is very demanding. He has to be! So I am frustrated [when people say]: “your products are expensive.” [Because] there are a lot of people behind every product: the loom carpenters – very difficult to find these days –; the warping process; the spinning process. Then the weaving, the dyeing. And then making sure that the yarn is sourced sustainably, yarn mills must not have child labour, growing cotton itself must be free from child labour. Using EU-approved dyes is expensive… Paying the weavers adequately… Eye glasses, eye tests! It is expensive!

You have jewellery makers based here in-house at Pho Sein?

Yes. We have nine goldsmiths. Most of them are from Rakhine. Rakhine goldsmithing is the most intricate. We are going to take more trainees.

Jewellery making is male dominated?

It is. But we do take women trainees.

What we want to do is to document the techniques through videography and share widely so that people can learn about these techniques. When we were in Sagaing, we talked to a silversmith, he said there are only about six or seven silver master artisans now and the techniques are going to die out very soon. So, we need to document and train-up soon.

Goldsmiths don’t want to work with silver. But here, we have gently encouraged …

The goldsmiths you have here are master goldsmiths?

Yes, but [before joining Turquoise Mountain] they were only producing in a very traditional way. Polishing, finishing designs for international markets, we provide trainings and share knowledge. There are very stringent standards. For example, the UK have a law in trading gold: if we are talking about 18 karat gold, it must be 75 per cent gold. It cannot be 74.9 per cent gold. Otherwise, it is a crime. In Myanmar, it is not so strict. So when people sell gold in the UK, they have to test it first. And if it is less than 75 per cent gold, we have to take it back. Also, gold alloy can potentially have nickel. We do nickel free because nickel exposure overtime can be cancerous.

Goldsmiths are learning father to son or through masters?

Both ways. In Inle, I met a goldsmith and his two daughters. The elder daughter was really into it but her father didn’t let her learn, yet. He was all “education, education …”. But when I was talking to the father about the designs and what we do, this girl was fixated. And then the father said that maybe he would start training his daughter, because goldsmiths who are handcrafting jewellery are recognised internationally … But the other daughter wasn’t interested. She was with her screen. Then we visited a silversmith and the same thing: two sons, one of them is learning from his father.

You say goldsmiths are dying our more than silversmiths?

Both. And now with AI and 3D printing, we are competing in a very tough market. Some jewellery is called “handmade”. But how much is handmade? Just the last 5 per cent? 95 per cent handmade is what we are doing. It takes times. For a masterpiece, it can take up to three weeks. It is difficult to compete. Labour cost then goes up and wastage is higher in handmade jewellery.

Anything else you would like to say?

For those who have made the decision to continue living in Myanmar no matter what the circumstance are, a lot of them want to learn traditional crafts. In isolation, we are seeing that lots are wanting to take up crafts as a learning and income opportunity. We want to expand this space as much as possible for them. To create space for the master artisans to teach the future artisans of Myanmar.

The young generations are starting to have a better sense of pride. They were always proud of their heritage, but now much more than before: “Wow. Our products are in Paris, London, New York, and they like this?” So, it is about motivating young people to learn and master heritage craft kills.

I find heritage craft education doesn’t have any boundaries. When we go to a training space, there is an 80-year-old woman spinning, a 30-yearl old, perhaps a daughter, weaving, and a 14-year-old girl watching and wanting to learn, and a 3-year-old boy sitting and sleeping and snacking next to them. It is cross-generational. There is this whole energy. And at the time, I forget I am living in a conflict-affected country, and in a village impacted by disaster. These women (and some men) were having fun, sharing stories … This is well-being too. I want the international community and our clients to know about the support they are giving to these communities by buying textiles, jewellery and lacquerware. I hope that more people will consider buying and owning handcrafted products. That’s meaningful support.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity. Find more information about Turquoise Mountain Myanmar here.