Reviving Katu Weaving

In the heart of southern Laos, near Tad Lo, lives the Katu ethnic group. Isolated and often deprived of educational or professional opportunities, this community nevertheless perpetuates a very rich culture: its own language, an animist religion and above all a strong artisanal tradition, weaving.

Katu traditions

A culture between beliefs and weaving

Among the Katu, society is organized into patrilineal clans, where property and status are passed down from generation to generation. Their spirituality is animistic: every element of nature (forest, rivers, rice, ancestors) is inhabited by spirits calledYungAndBraoMajor ceremonies, such as the sacrifice of the buffalo, punctuate collective life.

But it is in weaving that an essential part of this heritage is expressed, which is passed down from mother to daughter. Katu women are renowned for their mastery of the weaving technique inbackstrap: they spin cotton, dye it with plant pigments, and weave it. Their unique expertise integrates beads into the weft, creating symbolic patterns that tell the story of the Katu environment and cultural universe.

The Katu program

When weaving becomes a source of autonomy for Katu women

Today, many young girls abandon weaving to work in the rice, coffee, and cassava fields alongside their parents. Lacking economic prospects, this tradition is in danger of dying out.

It was in this context that the Katu program was born, coordinated by Sydachan and her sister Soutsada. Together, they brought together a cooperative of ten weavers and decided to promote this traditional skill. Their goal is to enable Katu women to earn a decent living from weaving while preserving their culture. This program represents a real opportunity for emancipation for these women.

Thanks to the Katu program, craftswomen are no longer limited to weaving:

  • They are trained in sewing to transform their fabrics into marketable products.
  • They work with Opportunity for Women to create modern collections, designed for both tourists and exports.
  • They run weaving and plant-dyeing workshops for travelers. They also take English classes so they can one day run these workshops independently.

The partnership with Groupe SEB

A project between tradition and innovation

Thanks to the financial support of Groupe SEB, the year 2024 marked a real turning point for the project:

  • The sewing training was launched with the arrival of trainers and the purchase of a first sewing machine, allowing women to transform their fabrics into finished products.
  • To give visibility to this work, a pop-up store was opened in a guesthouse: the women themselves handle sales while continuing to weave on site.
  • At the same time, the first weaving and natural dyeing workshops were organized for tourists, while a website was launched to present their creations.

The first prototypes intended for the French market have already received very positive feedback and acollectionhas just seen the light of day.

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