Meet Betina Infante | Co-owner Hangai Mountain Textiles

Our partners in Mongolia are phenomenal. They are responsive, flexible, creative, talented and professional. We grow together.

The collaborations that we have developed with U.S. entrepreneurs are exciting and inspire us to evolve and conceive new designs every year. Most recently, we had the fortunate opportunity to develop our second exclusive collection for the breathtaking Blackberry Farm resort in Tennessee. We are collaborating with Isa Catto, a superbly talented fine artist, writer, and designer, to create a new, exciting collab collection for 2023. We’re working to place classic pieces and specially-designed throws in Culver City’s “immersive space” named Atrio, a collaboration between David Fishbein’s Runyon group and AD 100 designer, Jeremiah Brent, that will showcase a fabulous line of curated homewares from Hangai and others.

These opportunities inspire us and affirm that great things can happen when we work with others to build a meaningful business.

When we settled in Basalt in 2015 after more than two decades overseas, we saw an opportunity to promote Mongolia’s extraordinary fibers, and thereby contribute to rural livelihoods and the preservation of nomadic culture, both of which are inextricably tied to herding and grazing.

The idea literally began on a cool August evening, as we sat on our terrace watching a spectacular moon rise. The evening was magnificent as the stars began to shine and the temperatures began to fall. As we and a dear friend began to feel the chill, we reached for the Mongolian throws that we had purchased years earlier for our own use. This was our “Eureka” moment! The throws and blankets warmed us and inspired conversation and speculation: Why not promote Mongolia’s finest fibers for homes and luxury hotels in the U.S.? The very next day we began exploring the possibilities, and set upon creating a sustainable, luxury brand that would continue giving back to a country that we know and love.

Today, we are working with Mongolian and American entrepreneurs to build a global brand that showcases Mongolia’s luxurious natural fibers that have been hand-combed by herding communities for centuries.

Hangai Mountain Textiles is family-owned and run business with a showroom in Basalt, Colorado and a presence in Mongolia, where we source our fiber, produce our collections and where we lived and worked for more than a decade. We design blankets, throws and accessories knit from hand-combed cashmere, yak down and baby camel. We have placed our collections with prominent designers, speciality retailers and boutique hotels and resorts across the U.S., including Blackberry Farm, the Hotel Jerome, Timbers Resorts, The Surf Hotel & Chateau and others. We and our partners value products that are luxurious and sustainably produced, and in the case of yak down: 100% undyed, unbleached and naturally hypoallergenic.

We are proud to be a business with a purpose that highlights Mongolia’s unique fiber story and that preserves its herding and knitting traditions. Collaborating with inspiring entrepreneurs across the U.S. and in Mongolia is the most gratifying aspect of our work.

Business is never easy, but a clear commitment and goal, has kept us focused and motivated. Bill and I are committed to:

1) Producing exclusively in Mongolia, with Mongolian-owned firms (all of which happen to be family-owned) so that our supply chain partners: herders, washers, spinners, and knitters benefit most from partnering with us as we grow together. From the herder to your home, every Hangai throw, blanket or accessory is 100% crafted in Mongolia.

Mongolia is the second largest producer of cashmere in the world, but about 90% of its cashmere is exported in raw or minimally-processed form to China, Scotland, Italy and other countries for processing, knitting and weaving. This leaves little fiber for local manufacturers, and exports virtually all of the benefits, the value-added, to foreign countries. We are committed to producing unique collections of blankets and throws that are knit and woven from hand-combed natural fibers exclusively in Mongolia. This ensures that our production benefits the Mongolian value chain from the many herder families to the knitters and weavers with whom we partner.

2) Making a market for rare yak down: a more sustainable fiber. Rare yak down is exquisitely soft, rare, unbleached, undyed and naturally hypoallergenic. The fiber is relatively unknown in the U.S., but yak have a special sustainability story. Yak are relatively light on the land because they graze without uprooting the native steppe grasses like other animals. The yak down used in our collections is sourced largely from the Hangai mountain range located in the center of the country, and which inspired our brand name.

3) Producing small volumes of luxurious blankets and throws that elevate the home. We are not interested in mass-producing Hangai. Hangai is thoughtfully designed and produced with our partners who share our values and appreciate the work that goes into sustainably producing a rare, luxurious textile collection.

The bottom line is that we are committed to building a business with a purpose that grows together with our partners.

I adore RiNo (River North Art District) for all the fantastic murals, music and food. I love the vibe at the Central Market. Every time I walk through the Central Market I wish we had something similar in Basalt, our home town in Colorado – a destination. A place for laughs, good food & drink. I adore weaving through the alleys admiring the street art, and relaxing with a craft beer in one of the many breweries in the neighborhood. We’ve stayed at The Ramble Hotel, which is always fun and fabulous. I highly recommend breakfast at the Stowaway Kitchen that serves a superb and unique blend of Japanese/American meals. Love it!

Dinner and drinks in LoDo make for a fun evening. I like walking through the iconic Tattered Cover Bookstore at McGregor Square, and then heading over to roam the Dairy Block for a drinks and dinner at Forage Restaurant or any of the other great places in this neighborhood.

Denver has an incredible art scene. Our favorite is the Clyfford Still Museum located next to the Denver Art Museum. The museum is totally accessible and always creative. Earlier this year the museum mounted an outstanding exhibit that was curated by kids. Hats off to the museum directors for taking a revolutionary approach to curation.

Other off-the-cuff fun things I would take friends to do:
• The new RiNO art park
• The interactive Van Gogh and Frida Khalo exhibits.
• A concert at Red Rocks
• A stroll through the Botanical Garden