Textile House Amarasti was set up by educator Sue Dowling. She was keen to provide employment opportunities for marginalised women and started small.

Over several years the range and variety in bags, purses, cushion covers and runners grew and the team advanced to 50 women. They were a mix of gogos (grannies) and the disabled.

In 2009 the business opened a shop at the Swazi Candles complex and the company has found export markets in Namibia, Botswana, Uganda and Tanzania and further afield, USA, Fiji and Japan.

Amarasti has a team of seamstresses who set up the fabric for the rural outworkers. A mix of beadwork, applique and embroidery techniques and a healthy mix of creative flair goes into the generation of a vast array of designs.

The management of Amarasti now vests in Cheryl Chisnall and Tom Dowding but the same commitment to quality products from creative hands continues.