Olga Vieira

Founder & Creative Director | The Koko Company

I started THE KOKO COMPANY 18 years ago with the simple idea of bringing the 'threads' of the world into our lives and encouraging the needs of people as they experience, discover and enjoy the influence of other cultures. Today 18 years later, I have decided to start weaving all those loose threads I have left behind on my travels by dedicating more of my time to those other cultures exploring them, getting to know them better, and  trying to learn and understand their skills, their traditions, their way of living. And to begin to do all this by a very simple method - sharing.

Perhaps I will finally be able to fulfill my dream and transmit to our new Blog readers a little more of that wonderful hidden world that only a few have had  the opportunity to experience!

In February 2015 I will start with my beloved India that has been and continues to be for me a source of endless possibilities and inspiration.   
 
It will be a small tribute to the subtlety and perfection of all those artisans and all those natural fibers.

OUR TEAM:

Krishna Candeth

Writer & Filmmaker

Olga and I have done so many wonderful trips together. It has been a lot of fun (and hard work) traveling with her on this one  and helping her put together a blog with text and photographs. Her love of textiles and the work of local artisans, her ceaseless drive and infectious sense of fun along with her great love for India and its people has been a constant source of inspiration for all of us. Perhaps she carried her love for the country a little too far when she married an Indian!

Anil Patel

CEO Trendy Rooms Export

I was born in Nairobi, Kenya but my school and university education was in India and I am an alumni of The Indian Institute of Mangement. I have been involved in the field of Indian textiles for the last 32 years and with Olga for the last 18 years, manufacturing and developing products for The Koko Company. Olga’s love for India and for textiles in particular were instrumental in getting me totally involved in her new project. I was excited when I was appointed Director of Sundarvan – a Children’s Nature Discovery Centre in Ahmedabad- and Hon. Secretary of the World Wildlife Fund’s Ahmedabad Chapter but I’ve got to say I’m excited all over again trying to make this new venture a success.

Nathalia Hamid

Graphic & Textile Designer

I moved to NYC in 1999;  I desperately needed to get out there and see a different world and its endless possibilities. A couple of months later I was adopted by the KOKO family where I spent 12 happy years working as a designer. And it was there, at The KOKO Company where I truly discovered the amazing world of Indian textiles (a world I never thought of), where I was able to find my passion for fabrics, colors and textures and to develop a very personal style. It is because of Olga and her infinite love and generosity that I am able to see the world and all its beauty with different eyes. I feel blessed and thankful for having the opportunity to still be by her side in this incredible project that keeps inspiring me and all of us around it.  I'm currently a freelance designer based in Medellín, Colombia. You can check some samples of my work by visiting my page www.facebook.com/natihamid.design

Sonia Vieira

My sister Olga has spent the greater part of her thirty years in New York traveling in India and developing and manufacturing her designs there!  Her passion for India has been so contagious that her entire family has caught the virus and have been, ever since, under the spell of this incredible, endlessly fascinating country. Twelve years ago the two of us opened "Masala", a store in Medellin, Colombia (www.masala.com.co) which  allowed us to offer on sale a little of all that we had seen and loved on our travels. Today, we have decided after repeated requests from our faithful clientele - “We would love to travel to India- but only with you!” - to design a trip based on our own travel experiences and our continuing love for Indian crafts and textiles. We encourage you to take advantage of this singular opportunity of traveling with Olga in India, and give yourselves up to all the secrets and joys of a trip that no standard tour can ever provide.