Scented
gift boxes 
Gift
boxes and a selection
of greetings cards 
|
Alain
Rouveure Papers In
the heart of the Himalayas, craftsmen from the
Kingdom of Nepal have been
producing paper for over
a thousand years. No trees are cut down. Traditionally,
only the young and tall shoots from the Daphne plant are used.
A 2ft stump
is left to grow on. Called
“Lokta”, this small tree growing in forests at
altitudes of 6500
- 9500ft is coppiced every 3 years,
thus protecting the fragile ecological
balance
of Nepal’s forests. The process of making “Lokta” paper
is complex and labour intensive but ecologicaly sound. 
Alain Rouveure supports
this cottage industry because
it provides hill people with an income and encourages
them
to look after their forests and environment instead of
migrating
to the cities. All
paper products at the Galleries are made from Lokta.
Most are designed by
Alain and are exclusive to the
Galleries – unusual note books and correspondence
sets,
colourful boxes for jewellery and mementos,
decorative lamp shades,
gift wraps and a broad range
of greetings cards for all occasions. The
Galleries’ own stationery and carrier bags
are hand made from this fabulous
paper,
thus providing a steady income for many families. 
©Alain
Rouveure 2005 |
About
our stationery The
paper making process in Nepal
has not changed for over 1000 years. First,
the bark from the young shoots
of the Daphne bush is stripped with
a knife,
then soaked in water for
a long period before being beaten
into soft long
fibres. It is then boiled together with soda and continually stirred to produce
the paper pulp. 
Papers
drying in the sun When
it is finally ready, small
amounts of liquid pulp will be
poured into
trays that are lined with
a fine mesh. When most of the water
has drained
through, flower petals
and herbs can be added to
decorate the finished
product. The
trays will then be left to dry
slowly in the sun. As
with all the other items at his Galleries, no hazardous chemicals
or child
labour are involved in the
paper-making process. Alain prefers working with
small producers
he admires who will work to high standards and value Fair
Trade
when everybody is able to make
a real and decent profit. |
