Artisans

Kimdo Pashmina

Kimdo Pashmina is an impressive family business in Kathmandu, Nepal. Daya Bir Sing Kanshakar, late father of currect owner Prakash Kanshakar, founded the social enterprise in 1959. The enterprise's goal is to create employment for underpriviliged women in Nepal.

Prakash learned from a young age how to be a social entrepreneur. In the Fourties his father Daya already was social worker and Nepal's very first blood donor. Daya founded the country's earliest social service organisation in 1947, Paropakar Organisation.

Paisley / Jacquard stole from pure cashmere

Besides an Orphanage, an Orphanage Middle School, and a Maternity hospital, Daya set up a workshop where underpriviliged women produced traditional Nepalese textile. Kimdo Pashmina still is based on this original idea.

Kimdo Pashmina provides work to thirty artisans, almost all women. Before the big earthquakes in 2015 there was work for around one hundred weavers. Because of the natural disaster domestic sales dropped dramatically, causing a huge drop in demand.

Artisan is finalising a cashmere stole

Prakash is working hard to find new buyers so that he will be able to provide work for more women again.

Although the workshop of Kimdo Pashmina is located in Kathmandu, most of the artisans are coming from Janakpur (Southeast Nepal) and Sindhupalchowk (Central Nepal). They already had extensive weaving skills before joining the organisation. However Kimdo Pashmina also provides additional training, especially in how to use the Jacquard loom.

The Jacquard mechanism, invented by Frenchman Joseph Marie Jacquard and first demonstrated in 1801, simplified the way in which complex textiles were woven. The mechanism involves the use of countless punch cards laced together. Each row of punched holes corresponded to a row of a textile pattern.

Artisan is working on a Jacquard loom

Using this technique Prakash and his team create beautiful Paisley stoles. Made from 100% cashmere or a blend of cashmere and silk. Prakash and his wife make all designs and colour combinations themselves.

Kimdo Pashmina works with Fairtrade organisation Sana Hastakala. The artisans receive a fair income for their  textile and work in a nice and safe environment.

View the cashmere pashminas from Kimdo Pashmina.

Owner Prakash Kanshakar

Artisan is spinning cashmere wool

Kimdo Pashmina group with Melanie and Elike