By Casey Neill
A Dandenong South-based business is supporting women in need in Nepal.
Husband and wife team Lobsang and Miranda started Himalayan Journey to make felt products, mainly fairy houses.
“We opened up our own factory (in Kathmandu) probably three years ago now,” Miranda said.
“That’s been a real learning curve, doing it from scratch.
“It’s been a big bumpy ride but we’ve come through it in the end.
“Our products are ethically made.
“We look after and support the women who make them by providing them with a safe, family-friendly environment to work in, provide them with a fair wage and we also provide them with a meal.”
Lobsang, a Tibetan refugee, manages the Nepal factory and travels there about four times a year.
“In Dandenong South, we have a factory there. That’s where everything gets shipped,” Miranda said.
“We package and send to all our customers, mainly around Australia.
“We get stock in from Nepal every six weeks. It’s just a constant cycle.”
Miranda designs all the products.
“They are designed to bring out the magical imagination in children – and adults – to help remind them how to create and use their imagination instead of being told how to think through a screen,” she said.
Himalayan Journey will join more than 700 other exhibitors at the Reed Gift Fairs at the Melbourne Showgrounds and Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from Saturday 5 to Wednesday 9 August.
Retailers planning for Christmas will source the latest products across key gift categories, from homewares, jewellery and furniture, to toys, gifts, stationery and more.
“The Christmas and summer retail period is one of the busiest for the industry and we’re bringing together not only the newest products and trends but also the advice that retailers need to best plan for a period that matters significantly to their businesses,” event director Louisa Theobald said.
