Researcher, photographer, traveller, writer, maker, collector and curator. Lucy has a degree in film, anthropology and Asian studies from the University of Auckland and a colourful background working in fashion, interiors, product design, magazine editing and research. Lucy spends approximately four months each year in Vietnam doing fieldwork, leading tours and overseeing the development of new products for Tamay & Me. 

Xuv is a tour and trekking guide with approximately 15 years’ experience, and the owner of the beautiful Indigo Snail Boutique Hmong Homestay in Ta Van village, Sapa. An avid collector of traditional clothing, Xuv is working towards opening a museum of Hmong textiles. Xuv plays a vital role in the Mountain Threads team as a cultural consultant, translator and research collaborator.

Co-founder of sustainable fashion brand Tamay & Me, Ta May is a passionate advocate for Mien culture. Textile collector and dealer, teacher of embroidery and natural dyeing workshops, Ta May also runs her family’s homestay in Ta Phin village, Sapa. Like Xuv, Ta May works with Mountain Threads in the capacity of cultural consultant, translator and research collaborator.

Currently undertaking a Master of Visual Arts in Auckland, Arielle is a textile artist, writer and maker focusing on the decolonisation of ancestral stories. Arielle works on Mountain Threads events, content and media. She visited northern Vietnam with Lucy in 2017. Together they are conducting an in-depth study of natural dye plants within the region.

Jane is a lifelong educator and hands-on maker and grower. She plays a crucial role in the cataloguing and care of the Mountain Threads collection, and grows the Mountain Threads indigo research gardens in New Zealand each year.