We started Corala Cashmere (formerly Karma Cashmere) as a labour of love for Canada and Nepal as the places we call home, and for each other as husband and wife.
Praj hails from Kathmandu, Nepal and studied in Europe, while Dave grew up in Halifax, Canada.
After a chance encounter brought us together from opposite sides of the world while studying in the Netherlands, we've been inseparable ever since – sharing our passion for travel, fashion and entrepreneurship. We both live in Ottawa and love this city we call home.
We visited Nepal in 2011, where Dave fell in love with the country and its people. We got married in Kathmandu in a traditional ceremony and honeymooned in the mountains as we explored the country.
While in Nepal we learned about cashmere's luxurious fabric and how its raw materials come from the Himalayan mountain ranges.
When we came back to Canada, we set the wheels in motion to build a cashmere business with a focus on luxury fashion in North America. With the support of our close family and friends we launched Corala Cashmere.
Along the way we thought about how we could use our backgrounds in international development to make a contribution to the Himalayan mountain areas where our raw materials come from.
Praj understood from her work at a non-profit in Nepal that many mountain shepherds do not have sufficient resources to afford their children's education, a problem which affects girls disproportionately.
We believe that what goes around comes around – so with your help we're making a contribution to invest the communities of Nepal – helping to improve local literacy and gender equality through partnerships with non-profits in the country.
Photo credit: Jamie Reid