Our mission is to provide an ethical choice for improving the lives of artisans and producers in Nepal, while enriching the lives of local consumers with quality and sustainable products.
Ark was born in 1985 when Noah our founder took a break from his University studies to do some soul searching and backpacking in Nepal. He became enamoured with the unique style of clothing, accessories and housewares he saw in the streets of Kathmandu and wanted to bring them back home to Canada. He began importing shortly after and he's been doing it ever since.
Responsible and ethical practices have been a part of our ethos from the very beginning. Our manufacturers and suppliers overseas often refer to Noah as "half hippie, half businessman" because he never put profit above the welfare of any of our artisans and producers. It has always been important to him that anyone who works for Ark has safe working conditions and equitable wages. For the past 38 years Noah has personally travelled to Nepal twice a year and visited our artisans, producers and manufacturers to connect with them and ensure that their working conditions are safe.