Trunk show features felted works from Kyrgyzstan

Felted products from Kyrgyzstan will be on display at a Whitefish gallery for two days this week.

The Aizada Imports trunk show takes place at the Walking Man Frame Shop and Gallery, 305 Baker Ave., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.

Aizada Imports is based in The Big Yellow House in Absarokee. The business markets hand-felted crafts from Kyrgyzstan to U.S. and U.K. markets.

Women in remote villages make some products, and designers in the capital city of Bishkek create others. According to Aizada’s website, felt-making is providing jobs for Kyrgyz women who might otherwise find it difficult to find work.

“We like to think we are making a difference in the lives of women there,” the website says. “There is no middle man. We travel to Kyrgyzstan, develop personal relationships with our artisans and buy directly from them.”

Products at the Whitefish trunk show include hats, slippers, clothing, rugs, wall hangings and more. Aizada Sopueva, who manages the business in Kyrgyzstan, will be present to share more about women’s felting cooperatives in the Central Asian country.

For more information about Aizada Imports, visit aizadaimports.com.

For more information about the trunk show, contact Walking Man Frame Shop and Gallery at thewalkingman@cyberport.net or 863-2787.