Niko International is a socially responsible Peruvian company that exports handmade dolls, sweaters, blankets, baby clothes, accessories, shawls, and textiles. Our flagship product is the handmade dolls that we produced for the Canadian company, Cuddle + Kind, more than six years ago. We collaborate with Peruvian artisan weavers to make these dolls with dedication, patience, and love. Handmade dolls require a lot of time and effort, and every detail is carefully attended to. Each workshop of artisan weavers has a group of assemblers and finishers, without whom the dolls could not be finished.
The group of assemblers consists of women with knowledge in hand sewing und embroidery. They are responsible for closing and joining the doll’s extremities. Meanwhile, the group of finishers, also made up of women, embroiders the facial features and weaves accessories like hats or bags. Both groups consist mainly of women, most of whom are single mothers with sewing knowledge. They dedicate their free time, after doing their household chores, to work on these dolls.
The production of these dolls creates several jobs and employment opportunities for people in vulnerable conditions, such as our weavers. We work with Kunsthandwerker who live in areas with high poverty and malnutrition rates, including Huancavelica, Huanuco, Puno, and Cuzco. In Lima, our artisans are located in peripheral districts like San Juan de Lurigancho, Villa el Salvador, Comas, Carabayllo, and others. Each weaver leader has a workshop with about four machines located in their homes. Thanks to their work, they have expanded their workshops and brought their family members into the business as weavers, finishers, or assemblers. Many of them are Andean migrants. Weaving has allowed Niko International’s artisans to improve their quality of life significantly. Many have completed building their houses, given higher education to their children, and expanded their textile facilities. This has been possible thanks to their effort and dedication to their work.
As we grow, the company is reinventing its communication strategies to motivate and encourage our weavers’ work, who are the backbone of our team. Thus, we try to meet their needs as far as possible. For example, if any of them have sight difficulties, we finance their glasses free of charge. Every year, for Christmas, we make a reservation at a buffet to have a space for fellowship and sharing among all the weavers. It is a significant activity that takes place once a year. Finally, with respect to payments, we are very aware of the value of punctuality. We make payments on delivery, the day the product is received, and issue the deposit for their services on the same day.
We are aware of our artisans’ great work and the artistic talent they develop every day. For this reason, we are committed to protecting their well-being and passion for artisan weaving. We invite you to review our Peruvian artisans’ products.
Contact us at our email or Whatsapp +51 914 012 060 for more information.
