When SCPS senior Matthew Scanlan became aware of the poor living conditions of nomadic herders in Mongolia after his former roommate Diederik Rijsemus made a trip there, the duo decided to find a way to improve lives.

In 2010, Scanlan and Rijsemus, who is a master’s candidate in the Netherlands, launched Naadam Cashmere, a socially conscious clothing line, to assist the herders who struggle with poor conditions. The brand sells sweaters made from 100 percent Mongolian cashmere harvested by the nomadic herders.

On April 5, Scanlan launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise awareness of the herders and their struggles while building their brand. As of April 20, the duo has raised over $36,000. When individuals contribute to the campaign, which ends on May 15, they receive rewards ranging from Naadam Cashmere socks to a trip to Mongolia with Scanlan and Rijsemus.

“We wanted to help these herders to protect their culture and livelihood,” Rijsemus said. “Along the way we found an avenue for doing this through the cashmere business.”

The name Naadam comes from the Naadam Festival, Mongolia’s biggest annual festival which unites both city dwellers and nomads to celebrate their rich ancestry.

Scanlan and Rijsemus collect fibers from the herders and then manufacture the sweaters in Mongolia. Once the sweaters are sold, the pair takes 10 percent of the profits and invests in the Index-Based Livestock Insurance Program, an initiative created by the World Bank, to protect the herders who sourced the garments.

“We realized we could contribute to the program and pay premiums for individual families of the herders,” Scanlan said. “The cost is relatively low for us but quite substantial for a family of nomads.”

Naadam Cashmere is currently sold at small boutiques in New York City and Washington, D.C. Scanlan and Rijsemus collaborate with designers to create exclusive items that can only be found in stores.

“We do 70 percent of sales online and 30 percent via brick and mortar,” Scanlan said. “The idea is to build an e-commerce business where we can lower prices and respond quicker to customers’ needs.”

As the duo and their brand continue to gain exposure through the Kickstarter campaign, Scanlan’s main goal is to raise as much support and help as possible.

“We need to get the word out,” Scanlan said. “If we want things to change, we have to be the ones to do it.”

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, April 22 print edition. Layla Ilchi is a staff writer. Email her at [email protected].