Amulet International

Amulet International Story

Fleeing from Tibet at the age of 12 with little schooling and no money, Pema-la Lama struggled to settle herself in to her new country of Nepal. A refugee there, she taught herself to read and write in Nepali and learned how to knit and sew, all the while caring for 6 younger siblings and tending to a father dying of cancer. In 1984 she lived with her husband Namgyal , also a Tibetan refugee, who fled when he was one, and their baby daughter, Chimi in a small room in Kathmandu with no water, bathroom or kitchen. They supported themselves with sales from a small shop where they sold bags and knitwear that they made.

These women became master knitters imparting their skills to other women employed by Nhucche. Most of these women supplemented their family’s income by spinning wool or knitting garments at home on a part-time bases. When Ric and Denise first met Nhucche, he personally dyed all of the wool for accessories and sweaters himself, while his wife, Sharada, managed quality control.

Through this work, Nhucche and Sharada were able to send both of their sons to university. Inspired by their parents dream of empowering women, both sons returned after university to run the family business, continuing to work with women to provide economic opportunity to rural communities. In their words:

“Amulet International Trading is a manufacturer and exporter of woolen garments and sweaters. We have been manufacturing and trading woolen goods since 1988. We only use 100% pure natural materials. We only use 100% eco-friendly dyes from Switzerland to colour our goods. All sweaters and garments are made by local Nepalese women. Each piece is hand knitted and hand woven to a very high quality, moth proof standard. Each woolen sweater or garment portrays the artistic skill and perfection of a highly skilled crafts woman who takes the time that is needed to create a special product.”

Step 1- The Yarn

We bring woolen yarn of sheep from the mountains of Nepal and New Zealand.

Step 2- The Spinning

Then we spin it on a machine. We used to spin all the woolen raw yarn by hand but once the big machine came along and technology advanced, we started spinning with it and this is much faster and less expensive

Step 3- Adding Color

Then we dye the woolen yarn according to your specific order. We used to dye by hand. We used to burn a big pot to heat the water then we used to dip the yarn in the hot dye. But now, we use a machine which is less messy and much faster for the dye to set.

Step 4- The Making

Then we distribute the woolen yarn to the knitters. All of the sweaters and garments are made by women in Bhaktapur, Patan, Panipa and other outskirt regions in and around Kathmandu city. Most of the women are Nepalese housewives whose main priority is to do all their household tasks like cleaning, cooking, washing and taking care of their children and family. The women are busy all day but in their few hours of free time, they like to knit garments as the skills have been passed on to them for generations. Each garment takes an average of four days to complete.

Step 5- Quality Control

Then we check the goods with our team of inspectors! We check whether the size, shape, colour, and general quality of the garment has been made with care or not. If the garment passes the quality control check then it is sent to the finishing department where all goods are checked again thoroughly for the final touches. Once the quality control team is completely happy with further inspection, each garment is passed to the pacing and distribution department where the goods are labeled and sent for distribution.

How we make our product

All of our products are handmade by Nepalese women who are mostly housewives, in their free time. This means our products take a little bit longer to finish.