Winter Hat - Eric Taupe

• Made with 100% soft merino wool with a soft polyester fleece lining
• Merino wool is a natural insulator, warm, soft and breathable to keep you comfortable
• Hand-made by skilled artisans in Nepal
• One size fits most 8 - 12 years old
• Manufactured by Canadian company Ambler, Nepal

Product Description

The Abbie hats are part of the Ambler's Himalayan collection which combines hand-knit quality, 100% natural wool fibers and a production model that supports women in the developing world. Each one of the Himalayan hats has been hand knit by a woman working in her own home. Knitting at home allows these women to stay in their small communities surrounding Kathmandu, Nepal where they can continue to raise their children while still providing additional income for their families. They work at their own pace and are paid per hat they knit which provides them an income that is above the national average in Nepal.

Ambler employs different groups of home knitters located in small communities throughout the Kathmandu region and provide them with knitting needles, yarn and continued skill development. When the knitting is complete the hats travel from these communities on the backs of bicycles or motorbikes to our production partner’s factory and distribution center. This is where poms and felt features are added, fleece lining is sewed in and labels and tags are attached. Completed hats are then packaged and shipped in bulk to the United States and Canada.

Ambler has been working with the same production partner since 2005 and is continually impressed with the great lengths they go to to insure that their employees are working in the best possible conditions. Located just outside of Kathmandu overlooking a soccer pitch and a field of rice, the distribution center employs approximately 175 workers who specialize in felting, knitting, sewing, packaging, bookkeeping and production management. The distribution center has incredible amounts of natural light, is extremely clean and, most importantly, is filled with happy workers who enjoy their jobs.

Ambler's desire is for more women in Nepal to learn a skilled trade so that they can have safe and sustainable employment in an economy that offers too few of those opportunities. This year Ambler has begun a partnership with a grassroots organization in Nepal, the Peace Rehabilitation Centre (PRC), to support their work in rescuing women from human trafficking and providing them with training and employment. 2% of our sales will go directly to PRC so that they can continue to provide women in Nepal with a skill that can change their lives.