WHY I CREATED THIS PROJECT?

Tiptoeing around the mess of sarees, I made my way to my mom's closet. Encaptivated by the traditional Nepali clothing's intricate floral patterns, I couldn't help but run my fingers through the soft cotton material. 

"All this beautiful clothing, yet we only wear them once or twice every year," I said to my mom, frustrated. 

"I know, right. But, would you haul around a 10-pound saree and get stares from people or wear jeans and a t-shirt?" 

A T-shirt or saree? Why not both? 

Growing up tinkering with chemistry kits and learning about Newton's Laws at the dinner table, I was well acquainted with science. When the world went into quarantine, I wanted to explore beyond science and answer the question pondering in my mind.

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I began by creating Pinterest boards filled with mostly Streetwear-chic styles and used them to jumpstart my project-- designing a Nepali-American fashion line. Inspired by how cross-cultural designer Purvi Doshi intertwined her South-Asian culture into Westernized fashion styles through mixing and matching, I began snipping and stitching together different Nepalese and westernized fabric and designing outfits that I felt best represents my cultural values and tradition. Alongside this, I am launching these prototypes online and am striving to reach my neighboring Nepali-American community. Because while living in the United States has undoubtedly impacted this community's sense of self and, at times, their taste of fashion, I still believe it is possible to integrate these two distinct styles and, ultimately, identities. 

So, why not both?