Maili Lama was born in Ramban, Bara district, in the mid-region of Nepal. The strained smile on her face developed fours years ago when she became an orphan. Her mother died during childbirth and out of bereavement, her father committed suicide.
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Read about children who are now enjoying their childhoods. Instead of spending long days for little or no pay working on weaving looms, they are attending school preparing for their futures.
SPOTLIGHT The Rug Company, known world-wide for its hand crafted, high design rugs and tapestries, has joined RugMark to ensure children go to school instead of work.
“The lives of workers in the rug industry are of paramount importance,” says Christopher Sharp who co-founded the company with his wife, designer Suzanne Sharp. “We are happy to be involved with RugMark. What we like is that RugMark monitors the situation on the ground not from a distance.”
Recognized internationally for its forward thinking approach to rug design, The Rug Company is renowned for its collaborations with luminaries of fashion.
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Santa Fe-based designer Robin Gray launched her rug business hoping to help sustain the native techniques and traditions of gifted artisans whose skills have often been passed down for generations. “My aim,” she says, “is to preserve the cultural heritage and help sustain the livelihoods of my artisan partners.” Robin’s membership in RugMark helps her achieve this goal by ensuring that the skilled adults weaving her rugs are not economically marginalized by competition from child labor. Robin says she sees her association with RugMark as her “small contribution to spreading the word." More >
TOOLKIT
RugMark’s new How to Buy a Rug guide now makes it easier for individuals to buy handmade rugs that are both visually beautiful and ethically made. The guide, which distills the often daunting process of purchasing a handmade rug into five steps, stresses the importance of selecting a carpet that is made by skilled adult artisans. More >
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The Rug Company,
Santa Fe-based designer Robin Gray launched her rug business hoping to help sustain the native techniques and traditions of gifted artisans whose skills have often been passed down for generations. “My aim,” she says, “is to preserve the cultural heritage and help sustain the livelihoods of my artisan partners.” Robin’s membership in RugMark helps her achieve this goal by ensuring that the skilled adults weaving her rugs are not economically marginalized by competition from child labor. Robin says she sees her association with RugMark as her “small contribution to spreading the word." 
