Global Artisans Find Local Market Through The Red Sari’s Mission of Public Service

It all started at the Clinton School of Public Service. That’s where Julie West headed in 2007 after years of working at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. In her admission essay for the Clinton School, Julie wrote about a desire to “work with handicraft groups at the intersection of my love for color, texture and the idea that artisans can support themselves and their families with their work.”

A public service project in Kathmandu, Nepal, inspired her to start The Red Sari, which designs and produces beautiful products made in Nepal for a global market. “It’s impossible not to be inspired on a daily basis in a country filled with the wafting scents of incense and saffron, fiercely painted temple gods, the fluttering of prayer flags, the jangling of glass bangles, the clapping beat of the wooden loom, and wave-upon-wave of crimson chiffon, silk and satin,” she says.

Julie explains how the unique scarves and other accessories made by Nepalese craftswomen find their way to Little Rock and beyond:

Soirée: When and how did Red Sari get started?

Julie West: In 2007, I quit a lucrative health care career at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and entered graduate school at Clinton School of Public Service. During a 2008 international public service project in Kathmandu, I became inspired by the country and its artisans. When I returned to the U.S., I hosted the first of many fair trade parties in my home, introducing the women of Little Rock to wonderful products from Nepal. After graduation, I spent four months in Nepal collaboratively designing new products for the global marketplace. In 2009, I officially launched The Red Sari as an Arkansas-based business working in Nepal.

What does The Red Sari offer?

The Red Sari’s signature product, the felted vintage sari scarf, is a result of a collaboration with a women’s felting group in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. They discovered a process of fusing wool fibers with vintage tissue silk saris. The result: Beautifully textured scarves, each a one-of-a-kind work of art. We also offer handbags and other fashion accessories. Later this year, we’ll launch a home décor line reflecting our signature process—all handmade in Nepal.

How do your product ideas originate?

I spend time each year in Nepal, working closely with the artisans. We come up with a design idea, make samples, experiment, adjust and keep working together. There’s a lot of sitting on the ground, sharing curry and naan bread lunches and testing ideas.

What’s the price range?

We have something for most budgets, ranging from a $5 felt flower pin to a $200 sofa throw. Most of our signature scarves and handbags range from $40-$100.

What makes Red Sari special?

I polled fans of The Red Sari and their answers all fell around three things:

1. Our signature product: The upcycled felted vintage sari scarf. It’s just so beautiful and unique!

2. The bond between the women of Nepal and the women here in the U.S.

3. Our customers like to buy from a company that is socially responsible and environmentally aware. We offer fair wages, and profits are put back into the company to allow for expansion, more orders and jobs for more and more women.

What is Sari Charlie Boutique and where does The Red Sari fit in?

Sari Charlie Boutique is inside Shipmates Postal, 6834 Cantrell Road, Little Rock (across from Stein Mart). It’s a collaboration between Shipmates owner Charlie Culbertson and me. In addition to our signature line of felt scarves and accessories, I’m curating a collection of fair trade designs made by women’s artisan groups, including vibrant scarves from India, Vietnam and Thailand; decorative baskets made in Ghana and Egypt; throw pillows from India and Nepal and scarf holders from a women’s group in Uruguay.

Where else can we find Red Sari products?

We can be found locally at Box Turtle and Beyond Cotton. We’re also at more than 50 museums, galleries and boutiques across the U.S., including Art Institute of Chicago, The Asia Society in New York, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles and Brooks Museum in Memphis.