For the Love of Silk
Photo by Chris Quinn, Courtesy Red Lantern
This Valentine’s Day, give a gift that benefits all: hypoallergenic silk bedding from Red Lantern import shop (131 W Water, 505-466-3793). Made at a small factory near Hongzhou on the fabled Silk Road, these 100-percent-silk duvets feature coverings in ornate Chinese patterns and are filled with lightweight silk floss. “People think it’s not warm because it’s so light,” says St. John’s student Mimi Chan, who co-runs the family business, “but I have one, and it’s really warm.” These and other fair-trade wares, from furniture to jade jewelry, come from regions Chan has visited and connect the store to her other project: the nonprofit Guanyin Association for Women’s Education, which she and two fellow “johnnies” established in 2007 to send volunteer teacher/mentors overseas.
