Growing up in Nepal, you see that everyday people, women and men, dress with a real sensuality. In their wardrobes, there’s a tension between revealing and concealing, a sense of cocooning, and within all of that, a mixture of patterns and colors and textures that—through a colonized lens—might seem too much. It’s a way of being that is not enclosed. It’s an aesthetic very specific to this part of the world, and this idea of draping and sensuality was something I just loved. It’s almost very lyrical. You have to understand that these women who live in the country’s remote regions wear all these accessories, and everything is tucked in tight as they carry around their things for the day, so much of what they wear is actually taking the weight off their shoulders, literally and metaphorically. They walk through life so gracefully, with so much joy, and I always wanted to capture that spirit. I’ll admit I’m not always successful, but for that show, I feel like I truly was.
Where are your favorite places to shop in New York and Nepal?
Nepal is a country where the pace of life is very slow, and that’s where the beauty of living is. [Asan Top, New Road, Patan, Bhaktapur] are still the same places that I go to, and there’s something beautiful about changes in the landscape in Kathmandu that background these shops. Capitalism has really affected the world, and so when there are still places where you find pristine nature and all of it remains authentically its own, I really gravitate towards that. That’s the opposite of New York, where you can find anything in a second. When I’m there, I like to shop vintage; I’m a big sucker for vintage. I love going to a thrift store in Brooklyn or the East Village and finding something you’re not going to see anywhere else. When me and a few friends won a social impact award for House of Slay, I wore this navy blue YSL three-piece I found at the thrift store, and it was perfect. I find stuff like that all the time. I’m a very patient shopper and I’m not doing the most. I’m still excited about everything new that comes out, but I’ve always felt like thrift stores are where my heart belongs.
Are there any other significant locations in your life? Tell me about time you’ve spent there.
Besides India, Nepal. America, Paris, Tokyo, I took a trip to Greece with my boyfriend at the time that really showed me, this… I don’t know, magic? I was most inspired by how nature really unfolded its gifts to us while we were there in the landscape and its openness. On the other hand, I love a big city like Bangkok. It’s the heat there and this exciting sense that feels like anything could happen.
You know it’s so funny; I recently just took a trip to Key West, Florida, to meet a friend of mine, and in the fashion world, you always hear about Miami, but there it was so laid-back the way people just seemed to go about the day. I just found it so unexpectedly inspiring, like it made me want to write more, think more, and sketch more, and I think my creativity has always been more open in places like that. My favorite places are beaches like Tulum, nothing fancy, just someplace that really connects me to nature.
