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Quality Handmade Women's ClothingVenus Imports Featuring Fine Handmade Cotton Clothing and Accessories A Bit of History- Venus Imports was created by Ron & Noga Turk in the late 80's as a modest retail venture that was meant to facilitate their love of travel. The Turks spent half the year traveling (primarily in Nepal - their "home away from home") and the other half in Janesville, Wisconsin, where they sold homegrown produce and a variety of clothing and curios purchased on the open markets of Kathmandu. By the mid-Nineties, clothing sales were burgeoning, resulting in expanded sales throughout Wisconsin and neighboring states. Encouraged by the growing popularity of their products, and convinced that they could make a better, more diverse, high-quality line by overseeing its production, the Turks joined with several friends and suppliers from Nepal and helped establish a factory in Kathmandu that produces our signature line of hand loomed heavy cotton jackets, vests and matching accessories. The company has since added lines of knitted silk and wool accessories, and sterling silver jewelry from Nepal, as well as bone and beaded jewelry and a growing line of India dresses, tops and skirts from New Delhi. Today, Venus Imports, Inc. is served by a dedicated workforce in Nepal as well as trusted manufacturers in Nepal and India with whom we have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship, and with whom we share a philosophy of high quality and respect for employees. Our products are made under fair trade standards.  Our company philosophy is to provide unique, attractive, high quality clothing and accessories at reasonable prices to our customers while providing a higher living standard for our manufacturers. Except for some of our bone, bead and horn jewelry (which comes from India), all of the clothing, accessories and jewelry featured on this website are produced in Kathmandu by a diverse group of workers representing five religions and a range of cultures that includes Nepali, Indian, Tibetan, American and Israeli. 
At our factory in Katmandu, Venus Imports is continuing old world craftsmanship with new world employment practices. 
In this era of international strife, the facility in Katmandu, Nepal that manufactures for Venus Imports stands as a model of how diverse, cultural elements can come together to create something good and successful. “Harmony� is the word that best describes it. Consider this: of the six principal members of the factory’s management team, five religions and five cultures are represented. Our business co-owners, Ron and Noga Turk, are American/Christian and Israeli/Jewish; the factory manager, is Nepali/Hindu; the head inspector and agent of outside factory operations is Tibetan/Buddhist; and the principal blocker and embroiderer are both Muslims, the former from India, the latter from Tibet. Communications and the coordination of processes can be challenging; but it all works, somehow, because of mutual respect and common goals. It also works because Ron, President of Venus Imports, Inc., has been able to successfully import some key American business practices into a decidedly third world culture where job security and product quality are often non-existent.
The factory began year ‘round operations in 1995: that, in itself, was fairly revolutionary in a country where many manufacturing jobs, at least from a laborer’s perspective, consist of lucking into a one-time or seasonal overseas contract, “learning� a trade overnight, working the job until it has been completed, and then returning to the street to look for something new. One might wonder how the manufacturing of clothing can be modernized in a factory where basic electrical usage and a single computer are the only sophisticated technologies present. The truth is, that Ron and Noga never intended to modernize the manufacturing process: the cotton is still hand-loomed, the material hand-cut, the designs applied with hand-carved wooden blocks dipped in a permanent black dye. Rather, the modernization has been in the area of employment practices – policies implemented by Venus Imports' oversight under which the Nepali staff operates. Simply put: treat workers with respect and give them the proper guidance and motivation and they will make a quality product to be proud of.  I'm ready to shop>>
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A division of Paula's Premium Products 6905 Chippenham Rd. Louisville, KY 40222 United States Phone: 502.426.3542 Fax: 502.426.3542 © Copyright 2008 - Handmade Just 4 You Privacy Policy |
