Kiva Silk

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Can Silk Shirts Make The World a Better Place?

Can silk shirts make the world a better place you ask yourself, well one social entrepreneur thinks so.

For every silk shirt sold, www.silkshirtstore.com is giving 10% profit as a loan to help entrepreneurs in developing countries to set up their own small business's which once profitable will

Silkshirtstore.com is part of a social enterprise called the Kohtrad Silk Project, a collection of specialised websites selling silk shirts, silk scarves and silk shawls.  The project aims to give silk producers in Isaan, North East Thailand a platform to sell their products around the world.

The other website in the project is www.silkscarfshawls.com which specialises in high quality handmade silk scarves and silk shawls.  50% of profits from every silk scarf and silk shawl sold are being put towards a village internet hub for the community where the silk scarves are made.

The person behind the enterprise is Farquhar Simpkin.  Before Farquhar came up with the project idea, he used to run a record label in London, but after getting frustrated with the music industry he decided he wanted to do something different so he sold his record label, all his possessions and went travelling.

"I ended up going to Australia first, and it was there in a small book shop in Perth that I came across a book by a social entrepreneur called Nic Francis called the End of Charity.  I was getting interested in social enterprise while in London, but it was this book that really grabbed my attention.    It was while travelling around Thailand and thinking about what I could do next that I became friends with a girl who had family and friends making silk in the poorer Isaan region of Thailand,  but with no idea of how to market to the west.  So the idea really spawned from there".

But this isn't just a project to help the silk weavers it is also one to help Farquhar himself. 

"After returning from travelling I ended being hit by the recession and struggling to find work for over a year, I just thought enough is enough, lets' have a go at this project.  Life is too short just to wait hoping that something will happen.

I wanted to start a project that helped people out of poverty, me included.  I wanted it to make profit, be self sustainable, with the profits being re-invested back into the community where the silk is made, which in turn can start more income generating and employment opportunities."

So there you have it, silk with a social mission.  If you would like to follow the progress of the Kohtrad Silk Project you can visit – silkscarfshawls.com and silkshirtstore.com.

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