Blog

2021-04-05 - Due to the pandemic it took a while, but our new spring collection is available! - Read more about New spring and summer scarves

2020-01-13 - Our cashmere and yak scarves are back!. - Read more about New yak and cashmere (pashmina) scarves

2019-03-07 - Did you know that beautiful silk kantha scarves are being made in Bangladesh? Not in factories where big fashion chains are producing their clothes and where the makers are underpayed and working in unsafe buildings. But at organisations that are working on the basis of Fairtrade principles. - Read more about Silk scarves from Bangladesh

2019-01-04 - Okay, so the sky is grey, it's raining a lot, and it's cold every day. Don't get too upset and make life a bit more cheerful by adding a touch of charm, happiness and colour to your clothing. - Read more about 25 Ways to wear your scarf

2018-12-07 - It is the month of December and we’re gearing up for the holiday season. Setting up Christmas tree, check. Decorating windows and garden, check. Christmas gifts, check. - Read more about A perfect Christmas gift

2018-07-12 - Sabahar is a Fairtrade certified weaving group in Addis Abeba, the capital of Ethiopia. The group is amongst our favourite suppliers of the more casual, high quality scarves. Interestingly, Sabahar has made a special effort to reintroduce Ethiopian eri silk. Keeping silk worms provides an additional source of income for local farmers. - Read more about The beauty of simplicty

2018-06-08 - Whether for Father's Day or Suger Feast, giving a scarf is always a pleasure! - Read more about Father's Day or Sugar Feast... who do you buy a scarf for?

2017-12-26 - Earlier this month Counting Flowers’ Elike and Matthijs visited one of the refugee camps in the high north of Thailand. An impressive day it was! Our goal: to bring a little light to the thousands of people who have been living there since the mid eighties. - Read more about GravityLights for 100 families in refugee camp

2017-09-22 - Last year Dutch fashion label Humanoid asked us again to make the wraps for their Autumn/Winter 2017 collection. The signature wrap has been a staple from the start of this label that values high quality and the use of luxury natural fibres. - Read more about Wraps for Humanoid's AW2017 collection

2017-07-02 - Mesmerising Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon, is the last standing Buddhist Kingdom in the world. Vajrayana Buddhism, an extension of the better-known Mahayana Buddhism, is neatly interwoven into the lives of the vast majority Bhutanese people. - Read more about Buddhist symbols in Bhutan: the unique weaving qualities of Kelzang

2017-04-24 - Today is Fashion Revolution Day, the day we honour the 1.138 garment workers who lost their lives during the collapse of clothing factory Rana Plaza in Bangladesh on 24 April 2013. The tragedy at Rana Plaza was the deadliest disaster in the history of the garment industry worldwide. It showed the poor and very unsafe conditions the garment workers had to work in. - Read more about #whomademyclothes

2017-04-15 - “Bhutan. Happiness is a place”. This is the tourism slogan of Bhutan, the relatively young kingdom in the Himalayas. In our view this is well-chosen as we feel extremely fortunate to be in this beautiful country, where weaving is fully integrated into the daily life and culture. - Read more about Counting Flowers in Bhutan and Nepal

2017-01-06 - We closed the year with the smiles of our weavers. Your purchase in 2016 showed them appreciation for their beautiful craft, and provided a welcome contribution to their income. - Read more about Our stars of 2016!

2016-12-08 - The holiday season is upon us! Time for family and traditions, cookbooks and (horror!) gift lists. A scarf by Counting Flowers is an exclusive and unique Christmas gift. - Read more about Perfect gift for the holidays

2016-07-20 - Counting Flowers invests all of its profit in education projects for girls in developing countries. Education is one of the most powerful instruments for reducing poverty. Educated mothers will take responsibility for the schooling of their daughters. Research proves time and time again that education breaks the vicious circle of poverty by empowering girls. - Read more about Invest in girls and change the world

2016-04-05 - This silk scarf is a true piece of art made by Makilez from Haiti. Makilez first created the design on white silk using liquid resisting wax. With a brush she added bright colours to her painting. Result: an extraordinary silk scarf, signed by its artisan. - Read more about Scarf from silk, handpainted beauty

2016-03-21 - Spring is in the air! The sky still looks quite grey but the days are now noticeably becoming longer. We at Counting Flowers really LOVE that. - Read more about Spring time!

2015-11-12 - The search for holiday gifts has started again. You may be looking for Fair Trade presents to make sure the people behind your gift benefit as well. Sounds wonderful but what does Fair Trade actually mean? - Read more about 10 Principles of Fair Trade

2015-10-22 - Buying and promoting Fairtrade demonstrates solidarity with a wider global movement towards workers’ rights. - Read more about Why buy a Fairtrade scarf?

2015-10-14 - Counting Flowers is very proud to announce that the founder of Mulberries in Laos, Kommaly Chanthavong, was one of five recipients of the highly prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Foundation Award. - Read more about Ramon Magsaysay Foundation Award for Mulberries

2015-07-16 - Although still enjoying summer immensely, we have to admit that at the same time we are looking forward to what the next season will be bringing us colour-wise. - Read more about Fashion colours autumn - winter 2015 / 2016

2015-04-07 - We just got back from Nepal where we met the artisans responsible for our popular cashmere pashminas and exclusive yak wool scarves and stoles. Visiting the weavers is always something special. It’s inspiring to meet talented crafts people all over the world all specialised in different weaving techniques. - Read more about Cashmere and yak wool from Nepal

2015-01-20 - This Thursday will be the start of the Amsterdam Fashion Week. Visit us at the third edition of the GO Fashion Fair on 25 and 26 January! - Read more about Counting Flowers at GO Fashion Fair

2015-01-09 - Last year Dutch fashion label Humanoid asked us to make the wraps for their spring/summer 2015 collection. The signature wrap has been a staple from the start of this label that values high quality and the use of luxury natural fibres. - Read more about Wraps for Humanoid's SS2015 collection

2014-10-26 - Founder Elike van Sluis is this year’s Fair Fashionista! She has won the challenge organised by the Fair fashion Festival in the Netherlands. On 26 October she strode down the Fair Fashion Catwalk while team Counting Flowers was present at the Fair Fashion market. - Read more about Fair Fashionista 2014

2014-10-19 - Anyone who ever visited Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, in ‘winter time’ knows that a scarf here is no luxury. Because of its high altitude this city can be chilly, even cold! No wonder that the Ethiopian women love to wear their traditional, very fine but surprisingly warm cotton scarves. - Read more about Counting Flowers visits Sabahar

2014-10-05 - Counting Flowers Founder Elike van Sluis is one of the three finalists of Fair Fashionista 2014, a challenge organised by the Fair Fashion Festival in the Netherlands. You can cast your vote and help her to get more attention for fair fashion. - Read more about Fair Fashionista finalist 2014

2014-09-01 - At Counting Flowers we are definately not looking forward to Autumn! We feel that summer was too short. No fun at all having to deal with such heavy rain showers and low temperatures in August. The good thing is that Autumn doesn't just bring wet weather and cold. It is also the time of new colours and new trends. - Read more about Autumn and Winter colours 2014 / 2015

2014-07-10 - Counting Flowers is now working with Pashm, a social enterprise that supports weavers in the North of India. The artisans weave beautiful scarves and shawls from merino wool and from a blend of merino wool and, very unique, oak silk. - Read more about Wool shawls and scarves from India

2014-04-28 - Women in Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos and Cambodia not only make the most beautiful scarves, they also create magnificent sarongs. They wear the sarongs themselves or sell them at local markets. - Read more about Sarong

2014-03-26 - Spring is in the air! We are ready to leave the blacks and greys of this winter behind and to fully focus on the new spring and summer colours. Pastels are the new 'it' colours coming season. Soon all shopping windows will be filled with powdery soft pink, purple, green, coral and blue hues. - Read more about Spring and summer colours 2014

2014-02-04 - The garment industry in Bangladesh receives a lot of media attention lately. The country is one of the largest suppliers of (too) cheap clothing in Europe. However … not only negative news is coming from Dhaka. - Read more about A Fair Trade scarf from Bangladesh

2014-01-08 - The holidays are behind us and we are prepared and charged for the new year! At this moment weavers in Ethiopia, gypsy women in Pakistan and artisans in Bangladesh are finishing the scarves that will be part of the new Counting Flowers collection. - Read more about New scarves from Ethiopia, Pakistan and Bangladesh

2013-12-03 - Each alpaca scarf by Counting Flowers is handwoven by artisans in Bolivia and Peru. Alpaca fibre is a luxurious fibre with a variety of great qualities. It is much warmer and durable than sheep wool, lightweight and it contains no oils or lanolin. Last but not least alpaca fibre offers excellent thermal capacity (cool in summer and warm in winter). - Read more about Alpaca scarf

2013-10-23 - Finally they have arrived! The large, graceful organic silk shawls from Laos. The shawls are made in the new fashion colours red, midnight blue and burgundy. The colours are made from natural ingredients. Eco fashion does not come much better! - Read more about Scarves from Laos

2013-09-02 - Our new scarves have arrived! The Autumn Collection has been photographed and uploaded to the online shop. A beautiful collection silk scarves from Cambodia, robust and warm yak wool scarves from Nepal and unique scarves from exclusive lotus silk from Myanmar. - Read more about Autumn Collection 2013: scarves from silk, yak wool

2013-08-20 - Our new kantha scarves prove that good and fair products can come from Bangladesh as well! Handmade in a safe and healthy work environment and paid for with fair wages while the artisans’ children go to school. - Read more about Scarves from Bangladesh

2013-08-04 - Soft and supple scarf covered with tiny shiny beads from Pakistan. This Fairtrade scarf is made from a mix of wool and silk. Handwoven in traditional design by gipsy women from Faisalabad and the Thar Desert. - Read more about Scarf from wool and silk - from Pakistan

2013-07-22 - The sun is shining bright and the holiday season has finally started. Not many people will show interest in the coming cooler months. Shops however are already filling up with new winter collections. Reason enough to present you with an overview of the new trends and colours. - Read more about Scarf trend: new autumn and winter colours 2013/2014

2013-07-08 - Super soft cotton scarf from the mountainous Northwest of Thailand. This Fairtrade scarf is easy to wear and very comfortable. Great to wrap around you when it gets a little chilly at the end of the day. The scarf is available in different colours. Only at Counting Flowers. - Read more about Cotton scarf

2013-06-21 - Extraordinary piece of craftsmanship from Thailand. This silk scarf is woven in the elaborate ikat technique (‘matmee’ in Thai). The use of contrasting colours and lustrous silk give this scarf its special look. Now available in different colours. - Read more about Silk scarf, ikat from Thailand

2013-05-28 - A beautiful naturally dyed silk scarf, handwoven in the complex ikat technique. The scarf is woven by a family from a rural village in Takeo province, Cambodia. The colours are made from locally found natural ingredients. Pure Fairtrade luxury. - Read more about Ikat silk scarf

2013-05-21 - Headscarves are the ultimate trend this season. On the catwalks Marc Jacobs and Gucci already showed their ideas of how to look absolutely fabulous with a scarf tied around your head. Perfect to cover up a bad hair day, gorgeous for an evening out and totally cool and comfortable for a day at the beach. - Read more about Summer scarf

2013-04-26 - Orange is the colour of coming week! Party along with the Dutch during Queen Beatrix’s abdication followed by the Coronation of her son, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander on April 30. This graceful scarf is made from soft, shiny silk in different shades of orange. Only available at Counting Flowers. - Read more about Silk coronation scarf

2013-04-15 - Fabulous silk scarf from Laos. This unique scarf is handcrafted in the so-called bum pattern, designed by Phinesouk Sumaloun (Souk). The delicate colouring - each side of the scarf has different shades - is what gives this scarf its extraordinary look. - Read more about Scarf from silk in unique checkered design

2013-04-05 - Finally they have arrived! We proudly present our gorgeous silk scarves in the new spring and summer colours poppy red, emerald green and dusk blue. Spoil yourself with this soft, graceful scarf or surprise a loved-one with a great gift. The scarves are also available in the timeless fashion colours black and purple. - Read more about Silk scarves in the new summer colours

2013-03-24 - Counting Flowers invests all profits from the sale of its scarves in education projects for disadvantaged girls in developing countries. The profit of 2012 has again been donated to an education project that offers children from Manila’s notorious garbage dump Smokey Mountain a chance to go to school. - Read more about Counting Flowers continues to support education project Philippines

2013-03-20 - This shiny silk scarf stands out because of its beautiful soft colours. The dye is made from natural ingredients, a complex trade that can still be found in countries like Cambodia where we found this scarf. - Read more about Scarf made from silk, naturally dyed

2013-03-02 - Extraordinary silk scarf, handwoven in the traditional khit style. The khit technique is a special subsection of the weaving culture in Southeast Asia. The unique khit style can be recognised by the combination of perfect geometrical patterns in contrasting colours. The geometry is the same on both sides of the scarf and sometimes, depending on the light, seems to float on top of the silk. - Read more about Scarf, silk handmade khit technique

2013-02-23 - Unique scarf from organic silk, handwoven in the internationally famed 'Lock and Key' pattern. In 2002 this complex pattern won the prestigious Unesco Award of Excellence for Handicrafts. - Read more about Scarf from organic silk, handmade and Fairtrade

2013-02-17 - Soon available at Counting Flowers: exclusive hand woven scarves from lotus silk, made in Myanmar. Myanmar is the only country where artisans produce lotus silk and use this unique fibre in their scarves. The addition of undyed lotus silk creates scarves with a very distinctive look. - Read more about Scarf from lotus silk, made in Myanmar

2013-01-04 - Whilst still in the midst of winter, we are already dreaming about the new spring and summer colours 2013. Dark brown, black and grey can be put aside; we are yearning for the dynamic bright colours and the new soft shades of the coming season. What can we expect? - Read more about Spring and summer colours 2013

2012-12-11 - Our warmest shawls are undoubtedly the handwoven double ply yak woollen shawls. These very soft yak shawls are available in dark brown (undyed yak wool) and pitch black. There are three sizes, with a medium sized shawl bridging the gap between scarf and large blanket. What is so special about yak wool? - Read more about Yak wool shawls

2012-11-07 - Counting Flowers offers a wide range of cotton scarves from Cambodia, Thailand, Uganda, India, Indonesia and Ethiopia. The scarves represent the extraordinary weaving traditions of each country and are all handwoven by women from local communities. - Read more about Cotton scarves

2012-10-29 - Counting Flowers sells 100% high quality pashmina scarves. Our pashmina scarves are handmade by artisans from the Mahila Utthan Pashmina Udhyog weaving group in Nepal. - Read more about Pashmina scarves

2012-10-26 - Counting Flowers offers a large collection handwoven and knitted wool scarves. Sheep wool scarves from Pakistan and India, alpaca wool scarves from the highlands of Peru and Bolivia. - Read more about Wool scarves

2012-10-22 - Counting Flowers offers a distinctive and broad international collection silk scarves. In our web shop you will find exquisite hand painted (and signed) silk scarves from Haiti and exclusive ecological scarves made from certified organic silk from Laos. - Read more about Silk scarves

2012-10-07 - Silk is an extraordinary natural fibre. It feels soft to the skin and has a beautiful lustre. Silk has the wonderful ability to keep you cool on a hot summer day and to keep you comfortably warm when days are getting colder. - Read more about Silk scarves from around the world

2012-09-17 - Days are getting shorter and temperatures are slowly dropping. Next week autumn will start officially. Time to prepare for the cold months that will soon be coming our way. - Read more about Winter scarves: large collection wool winter scarves by Counting Flowers

2012-09-01 - The new collection pashmina scarves and shawls has arrived. Beautiful, super-soft scarves made from 100% genuine pashmina wool in the new winter colours taupe, Columbia blue, French roast, titanium and pink flambe. More about real pashmina? - Read more about Real pashmina

2012-08-29 - Although we are enjoying the last sunny summer days, the shops are already full with autumn and winter collections. - Read more about Cashmere shawls in the new autumn and winter colours 2012 / 2013