Pushing material innovation and creativity at Vancouver Fashion Week

At the end of March 2017, after a few days in Mongolia, some of the Tengri team crossed the Atlantic to launch the first of our Rider series collections, with the Autumn/Winter 2017-18 collection: Rider 1 – Journey. We wanted to present a collection inspired by the ever-globalizing world we live in today and Tengri’s own journey, from east to west, from Mongolia to the UK and beyond.

The fashion presentation provided a very relevant platform to introduce our rare Noble Yarns to the Canadian West Coast. It was a really exciting process to take the yak fibre from source, transform it into yarns and work with our team of emerging designer-makers and students from Bucks New University Textiles and Surface Design where traditional textiles techniques created unique fabrics mimicking the land, animals and silhouette of clothes seen on the steppes.

In keeping with the "Rider" theme and centred on the "Journey", we are proud to have collaborated with the musician Mirko Sangrigoli to present his beautiful composition, aptly named "Odyssey". Haunting and epic sounds take you on a journey to the remote Khangai Mountains of western Mongolia, while visuals of the landscapes complete the experience. As used on the backdrop, these images were shot by Josh Exell, a photographer who joined us on our journeys in Mongolia over the last two years. The carefully curated show invites you to experience the bleak and desolate environment in the harshest of winters and follow the landscape’s awakening as the Mongolian summer slowly unfolds.

What is truly consistent in all the events at which Tengri participates, is how strongly people connect to Tengri’s story and feel inspired by it. I’m so proud to present the culmination of so many people's creativity and pleased to be able to share our journey from east to west – in this case, from Mongolia to Vancouver – with you. Wherever the journey takes us next, be sure to join us!

Photo credits: Vancouver Fashion Week, Dale Rollings, Buckinghamshire New University.