MakaluWear Aims High

Mount Makalu is 8,485m tall and the fifth highest mountain in the world. “It is one of the harder eight-thousanders in the world to climb with its steep pitches and knife-edged ridges that are completely open to the elements,” say Monica Sherchan and Yelember Singh Adhikari. “Which is why we chose to name our company after it.”

Ever notice how there seems to be a thousand companies named Everest? Even an IT college in the US is named Everest. Fed up with companies that used Nepali symbols without ever acknowledging that they’re Nepali, Sherchan and Adhikari decided to start a company that was decidedly Nepali and would give back to the country. “A company should work for the collective good of all people and the environment,” say the duo. 

MakaluWear, a clothing brand, started when Monica, a graphic designer with a keen interest in designing t-shirts, came up with a design inspired by the Himalayas. To get started, the two travelled to Rocktober Fest in Red River Gorge, Kentucky with a supply of t-shirts in order to raise money for a non-profit organization. The response from the festival was heartwarming and encouraging. 

"The event had climbers from all over the country and lots of people who had made trips to Nepal,” say Sherchan and Adhikari. “The event was a great success for us, people were very glad to hear about what we were trying to do, and supported us whole heartedly." 

And keeping with their aim of giving back to the community, whenever someone purchases a MakaluWear t-shirt, a dollar is forwarded to Room to Read, whose mission is to provide quality educational opportunies for children in rural Nepal. 

Inspired by the work of Room to Read founder John Wood, also the author of Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, and the organisation’s efforts to provide quality educational opportunities to rural areas, the two chose it as the recipient of MakaluWear’s goodwill.  

MakaluWear is also involved in a Buy One Give One project. With every purchase, the customer has the option to choose a gift (eithere a warm hoodie or a pair of shoes) to a child in rural Nepal. The company matches this gift and distributes it at the end of the company calendar year. 

Even with the education opportunities accorded by NGOs like Room to Read, there are still numerous difficulties in a rural child’s life. Education, although vital, isn’t always enough. The duo believe that warm clothes and shoes are always required in order to be able to focus more on education. By providing these kids with clothing/shoes, they are able to put more focus on education that in turn can help lift their families out of poverty. 

Sherchan and Adhikari view the company as also as a learning experience. “We’ve learned more than we ever did in college,” they say. “We’ve learned it takes a lot of hard work, dedication, long nights and marketing, marketing, marketing! You learn as you go; you really have to have a lot of patience and love what you do. You have to set your priorities and just focus. If you’re only out there to make money, it’s a very competitive market so you do have to love and know what you’re doing. The bigger the dream, the bigger the sacrifices. This may sound passé but we believe in staying true to oneself and that anything is possible with hard work and determination. Staying true to our beliefs, we’ve created a company we’re proud to run." 

This year, the MakaluWear team parterned with the 16th International Climber's Festival at Lander, Wyoming, where Buy One Give One was a huge success. MakaluWear celebrates its one year anniversary today.

MakaluWear is currently calling for entries to their photo contest. Send them your most adventurous, dramatic or artistic photograph for a chance to win a 100% organic cotton MakaluWear logo t-shirt and your winning photo will be posted on their website. The deadline for submission is December 31, 2009. For details, go HERE.

To learn more about MakaluWear, visit:  www.makaluwear.com.

To learn more about Room to Read, visit: www.roomtoread.org.