History

Katha Diddèl the woman is an authentic American adventurer. She has climbed mountains in Nepal and scaled sheer cliffs in the U.S. She skis where more cautious souls never would, rides horseback cross country, and is exhilarated by white water rafting. She has traveled alone in China to areas so remote that villagers came out to touch the long blonde hair of the first Caucasian they had ever seen.

Yet her decided taste for the unusual and the daring is tempered by a deep appreciation for the comforts of home and all of the elements that make a house a home: classic design, vibrant color, and a cultivated, timeless sense of style. The result is the company, Katha Diddèl Home Collection - handmade rugs, pillows, linens, and accessories like none other.

While still a young girl, Katha Diddèl developed an interest in Asia so keen that she mastered Mandarin Chinese. At age 20, armed with little more than a newly-minted degree in Chinese language and history with a minor in art, she was on her way to China to work as a merchandising rep, scouting products for American and European department stores. Her job took her to far flung villages where she found skilled artisans doing beautiful handwork, but using substandard materials. She knew that if she could provide them with the best fabrics, carefully chosen colors, and the right designs, they could make for her fine embroidered linens and needlepoint home furnishings that would find an appreciative market in the United States, Europe, and Australia.

Within months Katha was on her own as an exporter of filet brode and other fine handmade lace and silks. The collection still includes delicate hand-embroidered and hand-appliqued linens, but it is needlepoint and petitpoint that have become her signature.

In the early days, working side by side with village artisans, communicating with them in their own language, Katha drew on her background in fine art to produce a series of paintings which they faithfully reproduced in needlepoint. These craftsmen are so skilled that they work essentially free hand, making a few small marks on unpainted canvas and then working the design by referring to the original painting.

Although she has witnessed this time and again, Katha herself says that a little bit of magic must be at work. In fact, the pieces in the Katha Diddèl Home Collection are so perfectly finished that some buyers at first refused to believe they were not machine-made. Katha responded by bringing one of her stitchers to trade shows and retail stores to demonstrate that the human hand is, indeed, capable of perfection.

Every piece in the Katha Diddèl Home Collection reflects Katha's hand and eye. She selects every color of embroidery silk and virgin New Zealand wool. As creative director as well as president, she still designs much of the collection herself and closely supervises the work commissioned from such highly regarded international designers as Nina Campbell. The company is Katha Diddèl.

Recently her line has expanded with the introduction of handbags and totes crafted in America from Katha Diddèl trademarked needlepoints and fine Italian leather. The immediate popularity of the bags demonstrates one of the strengths of the company: a continual, yet highly selective search for additions - such as shoes and eyeglass cases to match the bags - that will enhance, not simply broaden, the brand.

When Katha Diddèl went to live and work in Mainland China in 1980, the country was just beginning to emerge from decades of revolution and isolationism. It was a propitious beginning as, for the first time in memory, foreigners were welcome, especially foreigners coming to do business. Today, China is a different place. Villages have become small cities. Cars have replaced bicycles. New industries lure young people into more modern ways of life. Yet, there are still craftsmen practicing the old arts of needlework, originally brought to China by missionaries and passed from one generation to the next.

Katha still works with many of the same artisans she first met nearly a quarter century ago, and the agreements that were made on a handshake are still in effect. Katha Diddèl Home Collection still brings to its customers exquisite, handmade works of art to be cherished for generations.

For more information or to place an order, please contact us by email at info@kathadiddel.com or 914-381-0446 by phone or 914-381-0448 by fax. Distribution Center and Corporate Offices at 345 Fayette Ave, Mamaroneck, NY 10543.

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© 2005 KATHA DIDDEL