Tibetan tailoring. Tailoring in Tibet is a very unique skill. Traditionally all the clothes in Tibet are made by hand. In Lhasa during the old times, All the high lamas and high noble family has their own personal tailor. The tailors are highly respected and called öla (Oola). Tailors are invited into the household to live with the family to make clothes for the family members. The tailor would first observe the entire family members for a couple of days to know how they live and how your family members will use the clothes. They would use the holistic approach in making your clothes by measuring both your Physical body and lifestyle.
The grandmaster of Tibetan Tailoring can make the cloth for your personality and spirituality. The most honoured tailors are that of the personal tailor of high lamas and aristocratic families. These tailors not only masters making clothes, but also Appliqué Thangkas, decorating items in the monastery, and Traditional Tibetan Shoes for their masters.
The training of Tibetan Tailoring to become such a proficient tailor would require study and lifelong apprenticeship with the master until his death. After the master pass away the household name of the master is passed to his favourite student, usually, it is his eldest son, If the master is a monk, it will be pass to his favourite student.
Appliqué in creating Silk thangkas requires a team. Each Tibetan tailoring would make a different part of the work. The Master of Tibetan Tailoring will create stencils on tracing paper and outline it with small holes. It is then placed on the piece of cloth and rub white sand powder to transfers the design to the fabric. Hence the images are traced and embroidered. After all the parts are finished, the master will sew together the different prices. One of the best work of Tibetan Appliqué Thangka is the giant Thangka of Drepung monastery in Lhasa. It will be on display each year during the Tibetan yoghurt festival of Lhasa.
Tibetan traditional shoe is called Sumba. It is all hand sewed using the local materials. The upper parts of the shoe are made with Yak wool, and the sole I for yak hide. They will be some embroidered of different patterns on it. Making Tibetan shoe is handwork.
In old times, Our Tibetan community has rigorous hierarchy systems. Individual shoes have to match with their statues. Aristocrat and high lamas would wear the boots made from Lather or silks, a Normal status person would wear boot make from Yak wool, and the poorest would use the recycled shoes by fixing the old given to them by their masters.
Traditionally in the low-income family, the father of the family would make the new shoe for all the family members in the wintertime as winter is a dry and cold season in Tibet. If the family does have many resources to make a new shoe in that particular year, the father will redo the sole of all the shoe. We have once heard an old son in which the son is complaining about his footwear. In the son was asking his father why he didn’t get the new shoe that year. He is complaining about how slippery and uncomfortable it is. At the end of the song, the father would redo all the sole and embroidery on his old shoe and would give it to his son during the new year. Being live as an orphan and in the cold winter of Tibet, We can truly reflect this song with my childhood.
Nowadays, many Tibetan handicrafts in Tibet has started making Traditional Tibetan shoe with use of Modern skills and technique. These new shoes are trendy in other parts of China and the Fashion community abroad. You can find different varieties of traction Tibetan boots in Market in Lhasa.
Besides this, We would like to write a bit about our social initiatives with regards to the shoe. Each year we are dedicating 3% of all our annual income from Tibet Tour operation to give back to society. One of the most significant undertakings is the donation of the warm winter shoe for many remote schools as possible along with the clothes and stationery. In all the school there is considerable support from the governments in every aspect, but our contribution is a just small contribution to beautified life in school in remote areas in Tibet.
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Tenzin Travel is the best Tibetan Travel agency in Tibet. Our agency is one of Tibet’s most experienced tour operators, with over 20 years in the industry. Founded by a local Tibetan family with decades of expertise as guides, managers, and route planners, we craft personalized itineraries for every traveler. We are the highest-rated and most recommended Tibet travel agency on TripAdvisor, Google, and LonelyPlanet.
We can make holistic arrangements for your trip to Tibet, including a Tibet Travel Permit, a Tibetan tour guide, flight tickets, train tickets, vehicle arrangements, and hotel bookings in Tibet.
Our Lhasa office is just steps from Barkhor Square, and our all-Tibetan team ensures deep cultural, linguistic, and religious insights, setting us apart from other agencies.
Beyond tourism, we support Tibetan communities by donating a portion of each tour to local projects. Your travel to Tibet is about more than profit—it’s about the opportunity for us to give back.
