WSDO is dedicated to beautiful, stylish items that are made ethically and responsibly. Our products are traditional and craft-based yet with a contemporary touch. We make the finest quality handwoven and handmade products using 100% cotton imported from India (mostly from fair trade raw material, but also from non-fair trade suppliers who are from disadvantaged and economically challenged backgrounds) and allo wool from nettle growing in the foothills of the Himalayas.

WSDO trains and employs women artisans that face difficult and significant social and economic hardships—being differently abled, abused, widowed, divorced, single, orphaned or of marginalized castes. These women are provided with free trainings on the different steps of making our products as well as on business management and various other skills related to making handicrafts. All of this is meant to enable them to plan for the future and become self-supportive.

As our production process is long, a lot of time, hard work, dedication and care go into our products. First, the cotton must be boiled, washed, dyed (where possible with natural products like tea, iron, copper, persimmon, pomegranate and Nepalese hops—or with Azo-free dyes) and washed again. After drying in the sun, the cotton is balled and loomed, before it is ready for weaving on a backstrap loom. In the meantime, products are designed and drafted, and the woven cloths are then cut and sewn into one of our lovely items. Lastly, every single item runs through a strict quality check before it is packed, shipped and sold in the local or global market. So, by the time our products are ready for purchase, they have run through 12 different steps and taken at least a week to make. 

While we proudly produce our own designs, we also welcome inquiries on customized products and colour options. 

Today, almost eighty percent of our goods are exported—mostly to Japan, China, Taiwan and Korea, but also to Australia, Canada, the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and the United Kingdom. 

Our products are available in retail shops in Nepal (in Kathmandu and Pokhara), from a number of international retailers and by placing orders directly with us. For identification and authenticity, all our products are labelled with a WSDO logo and “Handmade in Nepal” label.

The following film portraying our production process was lovingly made by Lucia and Rafal at Micro Stories, thank you.