About us

Our Story

 

Royal Handicrafts is a family-owned and operated manufacturer and wholesale apparel and accessories company.  We bring a fusion of timeless artisan craftwork and on-trend fashion design to our customers in America and other parts of the world. Each piece sold under The Collection Royal brand is genuinely artisan-made, while the Palila SF brand focuses on unique, artsy pieces. Royal Handicrafts caters to the free-spirited and chic individual with an eclectic style.

 

Royal Handicrafts: The History of a Family Business

 

When Royal Handicrafts President and CEO K.P. Sharma was growing up in the mountainous regions of Nepal, he noticed two things. The first was the stunning, inspiring beauty of his home, with its clear alpine skies and gorgeous sunsets. The second--and less uplifting--was the poverty and inequality that affected far too many Nepalese around him.

This background inspired Sharma to create Royal Handicrafts in 2004. He followed his appreciation for Nepalese beauty and art, which was informed by his second business, Royal Arts Pvt. Ltd., a company that manufactures handmade area rugs. Sharma also aimed to give back to his country by helping disadvantaged populations in Nepal--especially women, children, and the disabled--through a socially conscious company. 

Today, Sharma is the managing partner of Royal Handicrafts and has overseen its rapid expansion in the past 16 years. The company is fully family-owned: Susan and Sudip (Sharma’s son and daughter) manage sales and marketing, and his wife, Sita, serves as chairman of the board. 

 

Poverty and Injustice in Nepal

 

For centuries, only a handful of Nepal’s citizens were afforded education. Most were unable to read or write, limiting their job opportunities and forcing them to find work on small farms or impoverished urban areas.

After the Nepalese Civil War ended in 2006, what was bad became even worse. Over 17,000 men had been killed, and thousands of children and women with absolutely no source of income.

When K.P. Sharma founded Royal Handicrafts, he knew it was important to help address this dire situation. 

Royal Handicrafts prides itself on offering employment opportunities for Nepalese women and paying them above a living wage--in other words, enough for our workers to afford a decent standard of living for themselves and their families, and to save for emergencies or extra expenses. While the legal minimum wage in Nepal falls below a realistic living wage, Royal Handicrafts takes conscious effort to reward 100% of our workers fairly. As a result, our workers have been able to pay school fees for their children, breaking the cycle of generational poverty that’s far too common in Nepal. 

The Royal Handicrafts factory is a fully Fair Trade Certified™ institution. Royal Handicrafts also sponsors a nonprofit organization--the Himalayan Nepal Foundation--that works to provide scholarships to Nepalese students, raise awareness about health issues, and protect women and children from trafficking and forced labor.

 

The Himalayan Nepal Foundation

 

The Sharma family, along with many close friends, established the Himalayan Nepal Foundation in 2008. The Foundation is supported by major contributions from corporations and human service organizations around Asia and the United States.

Since its inception, the Himalayan Nepal Foundation has sponsored a range of programs to improve the lives of disadvantaged individuals--particularly women and children--in Nepal. The Foundation hosts an annual camp which provides health screenings and free medicine. It has also awarded scholarships to children from disadvantaged families, established on-the-job training programs, and financially supported several human rights campaigns.

 

Sustainability at Royal Handicrafts

 

Royal Handicrafts was inspired by the natural beauty of Nepal. The company is determined to make highly eco-friendly products that will preserve and protect that beauty for years to come. 

Our sustainable manufacturing model includes:

  • A state-of-the-art water filtration system that safely filters fabric dying and washing water without polluting local landscapes
  • An aggressive recycling program that includes the upcycling of scrap fabrics and the repurposing of silk materials for accessories and apparel, partnering with local companies to do so 
  • A planned transition process to fully electric vehicles and exclusive solar power in our factory 
  • The increasing use of Tencel-verified, environmentally friendly fabrics and recycled synthetic material in our garments
  • The use of air- and sun- drying and low-impact dyes and inks 

Royal Handicrafts prides itself on its consistent and ever-evolving approach to eco-conscious production. From the board to the factory level, Royal Handicrafts regularly analyzes processes to develop fresh and innovative ways to reutilize and upcycle materials. Royal Handicrafts also sets and pursues ambitious annual Environmental Sustainability Goals. 

 

When you shop at Royal Handicrafts, you are also helping to employ the women of Nepal, improve the lives of the disadvantaged, and invest in a sustainable and eco-friendly business.

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