Raas necklace—blue

Katherine Neumann, founder of House of Wandering Silks is obviously no ordinary woman. Having grown up in Sydney, Australia, she flew the nest to study International Relations in Japan, where she lived for six years. This was followed by a stint in London, where she she threw herself into every internship, volunteer position and job related in any way to the development sector that she could find. She then embarked on her almost ten-year career as a Humanitarian Aid Worker, living in Afghanistan and travelling to conflict and disaster zones in Sudan, Kenya, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Lebanon and Myanmar. She found herself in New Delhi in 2010, where, amongst others, she took the first steps toward House of Wandering Silk.

We asked Katherine about her journey and her vision, how she so successfully married two passions to create a fashion brand both beautiful and socially aware.

Your story is so inspiring - could you give us a brief narrative of your inspiration in founding HOWS?
In addition to wanting to address the inequality I saw during my years as a Humanitarian Aid Worker, a compelling factor in founding HOWS was my growing appreciation of, and fascination for, the rich textiles and embroidery I saw during my travels. Stunning embroidery made by women in remote villages in Swat Valley in the mountains of Pakistan, for example; the women were able and extremely willing to earn a living to support their families and themselves but had no way to make this happen. The textiles represented the culture and history of the people, and offered a safe and dignified livelihood for women.

How do you develop your products and what is your inspiration behind them?
We first identify the materials (mostly upcycled and vintage) and the skills available to us through our partner NGOs, women’s cooperatives and self-help groups. We then look at gaps in the market and the needs of our customers, brainstorm and sample a range of styles that can be made from the resources available. Finally, we test these out in the market - so it’s an ongoing and very fluid process.

Social consciousness is very important to you - how do the artisans you work with perceive your philosophy?
The most important thing for the women we work with, who are from very poor families in both rural and urban settings, is to be able to work from home and to receive a fair salary for the work they do. They are all well aware of how much they would get paid working for the usual middleman (which is how most women doing sewing have to work), who takes the biggest portion of their pay. Working with HOWS and our partners, they value our philosophy in that they receive a far higher salary than both the market and minimum wage, they get constant work and have the flexibility to work from home.

Thank you for your time Katherine, we wish you much success!