"One must be able to cross the bridge one built"
Zampa is an artisanal design and production house committed to making handmade products for a discerning market. Literally meaning ‘bridge’ in the Bhutanese language, Zampa’s goal is to apply traditional techniques to the modern context, bringing the finest of Bhutanese craft to a global audience.
Rooted in Heritage
Nature’s Palette
Iron Walnut
( Juglans Sigillata )
Iron walnut a variety native to eastern Himalayas and widely grown in Bhutan. Walnut hulls are rich in tannin and can be used to dye without mordant. It gives shades of brown colour and can also be over dyed with other dyes to give extra depth.
Read More
Assam Indigo
( Strobilanthes Cusia )
Locals call it “sang-ja”or “rum”. Assam Indigo was reared and cultivated in the wild in the past. Indigotin is extracted from the leaves and further reduced in alkaline solution to make a vat for dyeing. It gives beautiful shades of blue and also gives one of the most intense classic blue.
Read More
Lac
( Kerria Lacca )
Historically used to dye red colour. Lac is resins from an insect Kerria lacca that is reared on the twigs of Butea monosperma, and these twigs (stick lac) is hung on the branches of zizyphus mauritiana and harvested annually.
Read More
Madder
( Rubia Sikimissa )
In Bhutan it is grown in the wild at an elevation ranging 600 to 1500 masl. Madder is a historical dye and it’s primary pigment alizarin produces a variety of reds from brick red to light pink. We source our madder roots from the rural community in Zhemgang, which has the appropriate elevation and soil content to produce the desired shade of reds.
Read More
Myrobalan
( Terminalia Chebula )
A natural dye and a mordant which is rich in tannin. On it’s own it produces butter yellow but it is also a good base dye and can be used to over dye with other colours like madder, iron and indigo to produce deep oranges, mossy greens and teal. The dye comes from it’s dried fruits, ground as powder.
Read More
Himalayan Rhubarb
( Rheum emodi )
A variety of rhubarb grown in the mountains of Himalayas and grown in Bhutan around 3800 masl. The roots of of this plants give deep golden tones. We source these roots from the wild from the highland communities of Haa and Paro.
Read More
Thangka
Our team comprises of trained thangka painters (Lhadips) from the National Institute of Zorig Chusum (the thirteen traditional arts and crafts). They were further trained in-house on the art of dry shading (kam-dhang) using mineral, earth and plant-based pigments, and use of fish bone glue as natural binders for pigments and fine cotton for improving canvas making under a Japanese karma gardi thangka artist. The objective is to create fine thangka work, incorporating Japanese technique of pigment mixing and shading, while staying true to the longstanding designs of ancient thangkas.
Textile
In Bhutan weaving (Thag-zo) and hand woven clothes are deeply embedded in the daily lives of the people as seen in the visually appealing and impressive handwoven ghos and kiras. Therefore textiles are Bhutan’s primary and important art form, passed down from centuries, still vibrant and evolving use from the traditional wears to diverse modern lifestyles and furnishings.
We work with set of women weavers in our studio who participate not just in weaving but engage in the entire process of fibre preparation, natural dyeing, warping, finishing works and sewing under full supervision for quality control. We use only natural fibres such as wild silk (eri), nettle, wool and cotton which are dyed in-house using natural dye plants sourced locally and from within the region.
Textile
In Bhutan weaving (Thag-zo) and hand woven clothes are deeply embedded in the daily lives of the people as seen in the visually appealing and impressive handwoven ghos and kiras. Therefore textiles are Bhutan’s primary and important art form, passed down from centuries, still vibrant and evolving use from the traditional wears to diverse modern lifestyles and furnishings.
We work with set of women weavers in our studio who participate not just in weaving but engage in the entire process of fibre preparation, natural dyeing, warping, finishing works and sewing under full supervision for quality control. We use only natural fibres such as wild silk (eri), nettle, wool and cotton which are dyed in-house using natural dye plants sourced locally and from within the region.
All Rights Reserved @Zampa 2025
Changangkha, Thimphu 17126455 | Write to us at karma@zampa.bt