In the recent years, the handicraft industry has really been thriving in Nepal and handicrafts are not just limited to ancient metal works and paintings anymore either. From in-vogue chic statement jewelry to really cool decorative and clothing items, our handicraft industry can deliver everything you could ever want. From a store that sells unique junk jewelry to an organization that aims to empower women through the clothes they make, this week we have profiled three such companies that are giving us some pretty good reasons to shop.
Masala Beads | A fascinating experience
When Eriko Toshida, who is originally from Japan, visited Nepal with her father, she fell in love with the place. She was just 18 years old then and wanted to know more about Nepal, its language and its various cultures. So, she joined the Campus of International Languages (Bishwo Bhasa Campus) at Exhibition Road in Kathmandu and learnt to speak Nepali.
“When I came to Nepal in 1994, I felt as if I had gone back in time. Everyone used to wear traditional clothes and Kathmandu was filled with beautiful temples,” says Toshida who also married a Nepali man during her stay here.
She says she was fascinated with everything in Nepal, including people’s working style. She loved how people in Nepal always seemed relaxed, laid back and happy. “Back in Japan you need to work a lot to earn your salary. You don’t even have time to meet your friends regularly,” says Toshida adding that, in Nepal, people seem to be managing their personal and professional life so well compared to back in her country.
After she completed her studies at the Campus of International Languages, she opened a small jewelry shop because she loved crafting necklaces, bracelets, and other small accessories. That was in the year 1997 and, at that time, people in Nepal only wore gold or silver. In the beginning, it fascinated Toshida to see people so amused with junk jewelries. “I think we were one of the few shops in Kathmandu to make fashionable junk jewelries. Even at that time people from Dharan, Pokhara, Darjeeling used to come to our shop and spend one to two hours just staring at our things,” says Toshida.
India-Nepal Crafts Festival-2024 concludes
She says previously only she and her husband made jewelries for their customers. Now the shop has more than 200 employees. They also employ women who can make jewelries at home and are paid on the basis of the number of products they make. According to her, when they started Masala Beads she never thought it would attract so many youths.
During the initial years, the shop mostly had male customers. “Thamel, at that time, was considered a place where so called ‘good girls’ would not visit,” says Toshida who is happy that slowly such norms are changing and women of Nepal are getting empowered.
Now Masala Beads has two shops and both are in Thamel. And they sell accessories like earrings, rings, watches, bracelets, phone covers, purses, dream catchers etc. They try to keep up with the latest trends and use their creativity to attract as many customers as they can.
Masala Beads is both a retail shop and a wholesale store that exports its items to various Asian and European countries. “We believe in creating good quality products so that both our national and international customers are satisfied,” concludes Toshida.
Muskan | Bringing smiles
This organization located in Sanepa in Lalitpur produces handmade accessories and clothing and, in the process, they also empower earthquake-affected women of our country. Muskan which literally means ‘a sweet smile’ was founded by two Kathmandu University graduates, Sneha Shrestha and Anisha Shakya, in the year 2016.
The idea behind this project came about when these two young students were expected to develop a module at Kathmandu University for their social entrepreneurship coursework. They were encouraged to think of ways to incorporate earthquake-affected women into the economic framework of our society. Through their research, they realized that women in these areas were skilled but were not confident enough to start their own businesses. That is when they thought of establishing Muskan.
The key idea behind Muskan is to create a community that is strong and dedicated towards empowering women. They do not have factories but the women employed by Muskan work from home. They also create sustainable products and believe in ethical fashion. “We try to recycle and reuse every possible raw material. That way, we make sure that there is minimum wastage of resources,” says co-founder Shrestha adding that their team makes everything from necklaces and earrings to bags and clothes.
While working with earthquake-affected women, they realized that most housewives in Nepal were not happy. Many of them were suffering from depression, anxiety, and lack of confidence. Hence, they started training housewives strongly believing in the notion that women play an important role in developing a society.
One of the biggest difficulties this organization is facing is its inability to compete with the global market. “We do not make our products in abundance and we pay our women well. But it becomes difficult for us to compete with the global market where they exploit labor to create inexpensive products,” says Shrestha.
Muskan creates all its products with great care keeping in mind its aesthetics and affordability. They try to enhance personal freedom and economic choices of Nepali women with the help of this project. Through these meticulously made beautiful products, they also intend to bring a smile on the faces of their customers.
Kayo Creative Studio
Promoting the culture of gift giving and heritage preservation
Sajan Govinda Joshi and Prasanna Kumar Shakya are childhood friends who went on to become business partners of Kayo Creative Studio. According to Shakya, both of them were always interested in initiating a business but they never thought that they would do it together. Shakya, who is more inclined towards the creative side of this business, feels that this is a dream come true for him. “I was always passionate about making creative handicrafts as it is my family profession. But I wanted to add a modern tweak to our traditional crafts. That is what Kayo Creative Studio is all about,” says Shakya. Joshi, on the other hand, studied business and he primarily handles the monitory side of their venture.
This studio is a great place to order creative and customized gifts for your loved ones. From bracelets, neckpieces, pendants, earrings, key rings to show pieces, they can make anything you want.
Kayo Creative Studio primarily aims to promote the culture of gift giving among Nepali youth. That way, they intend to preserve the traditional artisans and handicrafts of Nepal. “We believe that is how we can sustain the traditional craftsmanship and handicrafts of Nepal,” says Joshi adding that even though their products look modern, their significance, design, patterns and skills are rooted in Nepali tradition.
The company’s name Kayo is named after Joshi’s grandmother which means white clay. The company is, thus, like a tribute to his grandmother’s love and friendship. For these two young talents, the company is not just about selling customized products, they believe in understanding their customer’s sentiments and coming up with creative products that have much more than just materialistic value. They also make sure that the final product is polished and refined. “We all know that handcrafted gifts are extremely special and we make sure that each product is made with great care,” says Joshi.
Their handmade, customized products are made out of Nepali paper, leather, copper and various other metals. According to them the biggest challenge while running a business in Nepal is the lack of skilled labor. They say it’s now difficult and almost impossible to find skilled labor in Kathmandu and they also tend to be very expensive.
However, in less than a year’s time, these two young creative minds were able to impress many urban youths around the country. They work hard everyday to deliver their products on time and preserve Nepali handicrafts industry at the same time. This way they aim at preserving traditional skills, spreading love, happiness and bringing a sense of respect towards traditional artisans among Nepali youths.
