Yak wool comes from the undercoat of the yak, an animal native to the Himalayan plateau and surrounding high-altitude regions. The fiber itself is adapted to extreme climates: fine, hollow, and insulating enough to withstand temperatures that drop far below freezing.
Nomadic groups relied on it for tents, ropes, and coverings—objects that had to endure harsh wind, snow, and rain at high altitudes. The woven black tents of Tibetan herders are perhaps the most enduring example. These tents, made entirely of coarse yak hair, are weather-resistant and insulating, yet porous enough to allow smoke from cooking fires to escape. They are not just shelters but mobile homes, built to be packed up and carried with herds across seasonal migrations. Their durability comes from the very properties of the wool itself: resistant to rot, able to shed water when tightly woven, and heavy enough to anchor against mountain winds.
Wool from yaks was not a luxury fiber in its place of origin but an everyday material tied to survival, rooted in herding and seasonal migrations. Over centuries, techniques for spinning and weaving yak wool became embedded in local craft traditions, from the woven black tents of Tibetan nomads to the thick, warm shawls made in Ladakh.
