HOW IT STARTED
The New Zealand Connection
In 2017 we travelled to Cambodia from New Zealand on a family holiday with our son. As always we kept our eye out for good quality home-made products and ideas which we could bring back to our home in New Zealand. We seek out high quality and ethically made products that make a positive difference to the people's lives who make them, as well as those who purchase them. We came across Kingdom of Wow and decided to import them into New Zealand. We are based in Whitianga on the Coromandel.
Thank you for taking the time to view our slippers!
Natasha, Matt & Harrison.
Our Manufacturer
In 2015 Godie van de Paal founded KOW Lifestyle in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It was the result of a wish and a conviction: the wish to preserve an amazing hand-crafted product and the conviction that doing business responsibly is not just possible, but also feasible.
What does the name KOW mean?
KOW Lifestyle is a Dutch owned brand with a responsible manufacturing company in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The strong link to both countries is reflected in the name: KOW is an abbreviation of The Kingdom of Wonder, which is the official name by which Cambodia rightfully goes by. And cows are as typical for Holland as tulips and windmills are.
We don’t just press for good working conditions, we determine them
KOW slippers are manufactured in our own workshop: that way we have full control over all aspects of manufacturing including working conditions and supply- and waste management. The human aspect of manufacturing is pivotal to us: an artisanal, hand-crafted product made from fine yarns is a work of love. The care and commitment we have for our staff is returned by them in the care and commitment they show to their work.
Minimal footprint, maximal creativity
We source and produce with the aim to leave a minimal footprint on this planet. A big goal for a small company, but we make our choices in careful consideration of the impact we have on this planet. The materials used are biodegradable; there are no chemicals used in the process of making KOW slippers and our zero-waste project allows us to exercise our creativity and redesign scrap materials into exciting new products.
