Our Story
Discover more about the people and principles behind Khali Khutta
Our History
We established Khali Khutta (“Kha-lee Khoo-tuh”) in 2015 following our lack of confidence in the environmental and sustainability claims of some companies and their products.
We work with a small group of handcrafters and local communities harvesting wild fibres and working with traditional materials to bring you our range of products. We support rural livelihoods and cottage industries in Nepal by providing a wider market for their produce to help continue traditional skills and indigenous knowledge. By buying from us you are helping to support rural farmers and independent artisans in Nepal. We do not mass-produce any of our range, but operate a batch process system. This means that all our items are made with that bit more care and love – and you can see the result of this in every item we sell.
Khali Khutta’s Foundations
“Namaste”, we’re Dave and Prabighya, the founders and faces behind Khali Khutta. In establishing our company, we wanted to provide a genuinely sustainable and environmentally friendly option for many products that we could not find in the market ourselves. We also saw the trend in Nepal of people abandoning their traditional ways of life, moving from rural communities (and often times their extended family) and leaving Nepal in search of paid work.
We combine these two threads (the need for genuinely sustainable and well made products and a commitment to supporting rural communities’ livelihoods and cultures) by designing and making the finest quality handmade products to meet the needs of modern life, by utilizing the natural qualities of traditionally made materials from rural communities throughout Nepal.
Khali Khutta and Nepal
Nepal is loved around the world. Known for being the home of Mount Everest, the birthplace of the Buddha and home to the world’s most hospitable people. We live in Nepal. We are Nepali (well, Dave is “Nepali jwain” or son-in-law in Nepali) and we love Nepal, just like you. Rural lives in Nepal have always been physically (and sometimes emotionally) demanding, which has led to the development of some of the world’s most resilient people.
The value of the skills that these communities have developed over centuries are often unrecognised both domestically and internationally. Ironically this is especially true in more rural areas, in a drive to be “progressive”. We are not against modernisation or development. But we are strongly in favour of deliberate, integrated and planned development with a long term vision working together with people and nature. We support rural livelihoods through supporting rural communities’ traditional artisanal skills and handicrafts, that have a gentle footprint on the natural world, which we incorporate into our designs.
Products with a Conscience
In designing our products, we visit rural communities throughout Nepal where traditional skills are still practiced, living seasonally with the earth. We have witnessed the harvesting and gathering techniques, the (often days-long) processing of raw materials and buy materials as directly from them (often through cooperatives) as possible. These materials include thread, fabric, wax, oil, bamboo, hemp among others.
What Makes Khali Khutta Different?
We believe that, as individuals, knowing the source of the materials and products we purchase is important. Knowing the people who grow, harvest, process and stitch your products means we know where the money is going when you make a purchase from us. We are excited to be designing & creating products using materials and skills from age-old traditions of Nepal. These traditions are naturally rooted in the ethos of simplicity, connection with the elements of nature and sustainability – how it all used to be.
