Our Story

Ethical Cashmere brings cashmere products directly to you from a traditional Himalayan business in Pokhara, Nepal. We are Jason, Nuraini, and Sumi. 

Sumi comes from a line of authentic Kashmiri master weavers. Her father sells carpets and cashmere in Pokhara, though they still have cashmere weavers in Kashmir, India - the origin of cashmere and the source of the most fine quality cashmere. Growing up, she has managed the weavers' work herself, maintaining the relationships with the artisans.

Jason and Nuraini came to know Sumi through travel and discovered the ethical value inherent to traditionally produced Himalayan cashmere crafts. Cashmere fibres are hand-combed from free ranging mountain herds in the highland spring pastures. They are then traded in villages along the way as the nomadic goatherds return down from the mountain. In the villages and towns of Himalaya, the fibres are spun into thread and woven at home, commissioned through collective bargaining contracts that follow the rhythms of rural community life.

Yet, the traditional cashmere have to compete alongside mass produced cashmere, with their story untold. 

So, we got together to open an online channel to bring Sumi’s Ethical Cashmere to online markets for conscious shoppers, and also as an affordable and sustainable alternative to other winter fabrics and polyester fleece.

Find out more on our blog.