On Oscar Isberian’s latest trip overseas, we had the opportunity to visit our weavers in Kathmandu, Nepal. Traveling to Kathmandu Valley is quite an experience: flying over picturesque villages, nestled beautifully between terraces cut into the hillsides for farming, one could imagine that the industrial revolution had never happened. A bucolic scene unfolded as we crossed from India to Nepal, and whet our appetites to be on the ground experiencing the country more intimately.

We were met at the airport by Tenzin, the owner of the company, and one of the most talented makers of fine, hand-woven rugs in all of Nepal. After settling in at our hotel, we visited the dye plant, the weaving centers, and then facility where they wash, design, and block the rugs. What was striking was the mix of old and new, of tradition meeting technology. While all of the physical work is still done as it has been for hundreds, or perhaps thousands of years, with each step laboriously carried out without even a hint of automation, a new computer program was allowing them to design rugs of striking complexity.

We look forward to developing a new line with these talented artisans, and invite you in to see the results.