In 2009 I visited Nepal for the first time. I had decided to take a few months to travel and volunteer, and instantly fell in love with the place – it became home for a while, and I have gone back every year since.
During one of my visits, I met Ramji, a local business man, who makes felt slippers from his home workshop in the Kathmandu Valley. I was just about to open Little Beach Boutique and thought the slippers he made were the cutest thing I had ever seen and would be a perfect addition to the shop. Each pair is made with natural wool, made by hand from start to finish and dried naturally in the sun.
I soon put in an order for some slippers – sheep, tigers and mice, and on recent visits, we have been coming up with ideas together. In January, I returned to go trekking, and we came up with some new designs – donkeys, cows, dogs and cats.
They took a while to arrive this time, as it has been a long, cold winter in Nepal and there haven’t been many warm sunny days. But last friday, after going home from the shop early, feeling frozen by our relentless winter, they had arrived – so I put on a pair instantly! Happy feet…
A Brighton Life 