Fashion in Nepal, my journey

With the launch of my new website, a new look, a new decade, I feel it’s also an apt time to reflect on the past and open myself up to you and share my journey as a fashion designer in Nepal and beyond.

2020 comes with many exciting progressions at my Kathmandu studio and my professional and personal life as a fashion designer in Nepal. My team and I are starting the new decade in a new location. Yasmine Studio is now a creative space that is perfectly aligned with my personal and my studio’s mission – that of creating a tailor-made lifestyle for my esteemed clientele.

Feature Image: Scan of an old photo of me meditating in front of a temple (I am in one of my big coat meditating in front of my garden family temple). This picture is meaningful because in the end what I do for a living reflects on who I am.

My start in Fashion
Never underestimate childhood dreams

35 years ago fresh from FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) in New York City, I decided to go to Nepal, the ‘land of magic’ from my teens.

My adventurous spirit fuelled by my childhood dreams and by what I was reading and seeing through pictures of travellers’ and friends, I created certainty that I would go there at a point in time in my life.

1983, Kathmandu, Nepal

Via NYC and Rio de Janeiro, where I lived for three years, I arrived in Kathmandu bus depot. Disappointed with the noisy and dusty place I found myself in, I thought, “where is the magic?!”

It took a while to settle in the hustle of Kathmandu.

Then I discovered Bhaktapur, an ancient Newari town on the outskirts of the Kathmandu Valley, and fell in love. The City has such valuable historical monuments; a testimony of one bygone era for woodcarvers, a reference point of excellence in the exquisite wood carving and subjects depicted. Bhaktapur is a display of outstanding workmanship all around. Not to mention falling in love with the father of my daughter!

Settling in Kathmandu
The Start of my Fashion creations in Nepal

When I first came to Nepal there was no tailoring tradition for women, only sari and kurta and pants that was it. I saw an opportunity to bring my freshly acquired knowledge of tailoring to Kathmandu’s fashion platform where frustrated expat community and Nepali felt a need to be addressed.

I started by creating a fashion that would blend East and West. At that time was an innovative concept and very well addressed the needs of my ‘expat’ and highly esteemed Nepali clients that shared the same passion and values as me.

Notwithstanding, it was a long arduous path as I needed to train my tailors who, at that time, thought that 2 pieces of cloth grossly stitched together was sufficient. They reluctantly had to redo the stitches according to my code of what a good garment looks like when stitched properly!

Challenges & Success as a Fashion Designer in Nepal

Watch this short 5 minute video in which I share with you the “dhukas” (suffering pain obstacles) transformed into a new lifestyle!

In the video I explain:
– how I went from drawback to asset,
– created a tailor-made lifestyle,
– how I overcame logistical difficulties and went back to basics to drive my business forward,
– becoming a female independent, pioneer, thinker in that era
– how I elevate self-esteem

I end the video with a quote that may resonate or inspire you – so hang on to the end!

The proverbial “know thyself” has always been prevalent in my quest for meaning in my life, exacerbated by my mixed heritage.

What was a source of confusion as a youngster became a source of inner wealth and I can expand my designing horizon beyond the limit of the place I live; transcending boundaries to reach the “freedom” that my logo ‘freedom and elegance beyond trend’ proclaims…

Nepal for me is the place where I had the blessing to create and expand my business and my sense of self benefitted from all the relationships I had with my customers, my staff, and my family.

I do hope you enjoy this little snippet into my past. I would love to hear about your challenges and successes in the country you live in.

Let us keep the conversation open – Join me on my facebook page @yasminestudio

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In the meantime, here’s some more about me and my life as a fashion designer in Kathmandu.