Fiona Chadwick – Pashom

Pashom, owned by designer Fiona Chadwick, is a fair trade focused business based in Sydney, Australia. Motivated by her desire to do something to make a difference in the lives of others, Fiona founded Pashom in 2002 while she was living and working as a volunteer teacher in Pokhara, Nepal. During her 6 months there, Fiona developed a close affinity with the country and its people and she was captivated by the beauty, color and quality of the handcrafted products made by fair trade and cottage craft producers. She was particularly moved by the courage and resilience of the women artisans. Witnessing this courage and the artisans' work ethic inspired Fiona to find the courage within herself to follow a lifelong dream of becoming a designer and entrepreneur, while at the same time supporting and contributing to the wellbeing and empowerment of women in developing countries. Her love for and connection to Nepal and her producers inspire Fiona to design unique handmade products that ignite the imagination of children and the young at heart. Her artisans execute her designs with care and love; these women are incredibly skilled in the art of felting, which is an intricate process of lathering wool and hot soapy water together creating through moisture, heat and friction a unique and beautiful product. Pashom is dedicated to supporting cottage craft industry and to empowering women to become self-sufficient and to reach their full potential. The co-operative in Kathmandu employs over 80 women full-time and provides them with vocational skills enabling them to support their families. The women artisans work in a happy, fair and dignified environment, are paid above award wages and receive benefits including annual leave and a yearly bonus. Pashom also donates a percentage of profit to the continuing education of the artisans' children.