Thread Of Hope

Never mind applying creams and lotions — if you could relieve a skin ailment simply by the kind of clothes you wear, or the bed linen you use, wouldn't you? The Handloom Weavers Development Society in Kerala , India , hopes so. The nonprofit organization — based in Thumbod, a tiny village of swaying palms an hour outside the state capital of Trivandrum — has infused yarn with organic herbs and plant extracts, and claims that regular contact with cloth made from this material will relieve itches, rashes and other skin disorders.

With a sharp eye for the...