Laech

The goats shed their winter coats in the late spring. The cast-off wool is collected and the soft undercoat separated from the outer guard hairs. If the laech is ceremonial, the wool is dyed with herbs and flowers, spun, then woven on a handloom. In keeping with the garment's role as protective covering and camouflage, everyday laech are fairly plain in colouration - often made from undyed wool - while ceremonial ones are woven with designs in yellow, gold, green, blue, pink, red, brown, white, and black. Both types of scarf are strongly textured with patterns woven into the fabric itself. On very ornate laech, designs may be hidden in the weave of the cloth, visible only when viewed at a certain angle or when held up to the light; these tend to be made as wedding gifts and may be handed down as family heirlooms.

In addition to bad weather and freezing temperatures, a laech also offers protection against magical attack. There is a fear among members of the Gwdaïdän that the Dream-folk will steal their face and use it to attack their family. Whether this is true or not, the Dream-folk are renowned hunters and can and do track relatives of people they think have wronged them. By hiding their face, members of the Gwdaïdän hope to stop any Dream-folk they might stumble across from seeing them.