For Sushila Karki crafting things always came easily. From a very young age she took to drawing designs and people, making use of discarded bottles to decorate her room and would spend hours remodeling her house. She would always be on the lookout for things that was past its expiry date but could still be used alternatively. This love for making and creating extended even to her academics as she picked fashion designing as her choice of subject.
After interning at various firms in India, she returned to Nepal and decided to stay. She identified a great potential in the Nepalis market for handmade products and understood that, if planned wisely, there was an untapped niche in the workers market too: The housewives of Nepal. “There really isn’t a lack of resources in Nepal. If you consider your options, you will find that there is a pool of opportunities and resources before you,” she says.
Karki was well accustomed to making earrings and casual ornaments from her creative courses in fashion designing. So she made some of her own designs, all of which were well received by her friends and family. She then began to wonder what it would be like to make them in bulk and sell them. With one of her acquaintances, she visited houses around her residence and approached women as they were basking in the sun. It was with them that she shared her ideas and inquired if they wished to join her.
Most refused without a second thought while some seemed willing but rather hesitant. To them, Karki assured a stable income that could give them some semblance of financial independence. And so she began with five and painstakingly explained the procedures to them. “Most women had basic sewing skills and it was these basics I had to make use of,” recalls Karki.
Keeping Communities in the Lead
What began as a hesitant project soon bloomed into solid work. The workforce has now expanded to 20 women who are now not just good workers but exceptionally skilled in crocheting, embroidery and stitching. Today Karki’s project has assumed legal form. Officially registered as Meraki Hands, the firm is well on its way to living up to its name, Meraki, which is Greek for “putting something of yourself in what you do”.
Karki and her team of “wonder women” have now come up with an amazing inventory of items. They have hundreds of varieties of earrings (of tassel and crochet designs), embroidered cushions that get regular updates on designs and an assortment of key rings (you will love the Oreo key rings). Backed by Karki’s creative visions, the designs are ever evolving and all too charming. “There are things I see every day around me and sometimes I see a certain thing and think it would make an excellent design. So all that I make and think are inspired by everyday experiences,” she claims.
Once Karki is inspired by an idea she first makes a prototype. Her workers are adept enough to pick on the design themselves and hardly need additional instructions.
Most of the products made by Meraki Hands are Nepali products. The materials, Karki says, are hard to get hold of. “They are difficult to find in the first place but it gets harder when we wish to restock. The shops we purchased them from run out of the materials and, in that case, we often have to improvise.”
Despite the challenges, the team of ladies is adamant to give their work continuum. Karki has rooms rented out for her workers should they wish to work in groups. However, she has also given them the leniency to work from home. Each worker is paid at a piece-rate basis and there are more offering to work at Meraki Hands every day.
Quite recently she partnered with Daraz, the online shopping site, to put her items up for sale. For now, the flow has been steady but they are definitely looking forward to progress more. Kari also expresses her wish to export her pieces. “What we make is handmade and very reflective of Nepali style. To advocate Nepali products, I believe giving them international market exposure is necessary,” she explains adding that she has been actively seeking out opportunities to do so.
Meraki Hands also has a website displaying their items and regularly sets up exhibits at KTM Hath, Yellow House, and Bhrikutimandap. They are yet to open their own outlet but hope to do so soon.
For Karki, making things is second nature and to be able to make a living off it gives her immense joy. Also being able to provide for tens of women who have for long considered themselves financial liabilities is something she takes great pride in. For the days to come, she wishes to continue creating and expanding her venture.
