William Fitzgerald and Sana Saleem were so impressed with the unique qualities of accessories, clothes and other goods they came across on their travels through Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka they decided to open an online fair-trade store specialising in such wares.
The aim of the Desi Store - " desi" is a slang term for the people, cultures and products of the Indian subcontinent and its diaspora - is to market these goods and ensure the artisans who created them get their fair share of the profits.
"We fell in love with the exquisite embroidery, the rich colours and the artisans' skills. We came across a lot of small organisations making beautiful products and felt we could help sell them," says Fitzgerald, a Google employee based in Hong Kong.
Saleem is a Karachi-based journalist and executive director of the Pakistan human rights advocacy group Bolo Bhi.