Garments from Nepal go on sale despite quake
The Douglas sisters have been selling the garments at Fieldays for 10 years. The garments they sell are from Nepal, and the sisters left Nepal a day before the April quake.
Two Waikato sisters at Fieldays selling woollen garments from Nepal left that country just a day before the April earthquake.
The Douglas sisters, Claudine, 41, and Nikki, 46, had been in Nepal checking on new designs being made for their company, Mt Kiwi.
“We had been getting our new designs made, checking the quality of the product and meeting with everybody. Just catching up, because they are a bit like family to us,” Nikki said.
They had intended to stay longer, but changed their plans and brought their leaving date forward to April 24.
Fortunately, their Nepali contacts and friends were unhurt in the quake, though their villages were affected and production shut down for a few weeks.
Despite the quake, Mt Kiwi got 90 percent of their stock delivered in time for Fieldays.
The goods are knitted by hand at home by Nepali women using New Zealand wool. Nikki said she knows some of the workers were up at night completing the orders.
“There were a couple of things that we couldn’t get completed, some of our new designs didn’t come through.“
The sisters appreciate all the work and said they are lucky to have a lot of their stock in.
One of the main workers overseas is Rita Pudasaini. The Douglases met Pudasaini when she was a nine-year-old selling bags on Kathmandu streets.
“Rita is now 25 and she oversees our business up there [Nepal]. She coordinates our orders and payments,” Nikki said.
Each year the sisters have been donating to Himalayan trust, and they also helped send Rita’s son to school.
As well as having a support from Nepali “family”, Douglas said their own relatives are helping too.
Mum and cousins are happy to help out during Mt Kiwi’s busiest time of the year.
“Mum is going to come down for a few days. She loves selling and interacting with people,” Claudine said.
The Douglas sisters have been selling their jackets, hats, socks and mittens at Fieldays for 10 years.
They said annually the wool jackets are the best-sellers as they go on wholesale only once a year.
