Photo: Courtesy of Arpana Rayamjhi / @arpanaraya
If ever there were a Kathmandu hometown style hero, Nepalese artist and jewelry designer Arpana Rayamajhi might just be the woman. The 28-year-old New York City transplant, who possesses a colorfully chic Instagram feed and an equally vibrant line of accessories inspired by her birthplace, certainly serves as a creative style envoy for the South Asian country. Whether donning an allover rainbow-bright printed madras ensemble, layering a black moto jacket with intricately beaded and feathered necklaces, or posting throwback images to her account of Nepalese women festooned with gilded septum rings and strands upon strands of jewelry, Rayamajhi showcases not only her command of color but a striking balance of ethnic traditions and Western urban style. Here, the stunning globe-trotter reveals how her creative upbringing and the older generations of Nepalese women inspire her worldly, modern look.
Colorful Roots
I grew up in Nepal surrounded by patterns and color—a huge part of celebrations, festivities, and religious rituals there. But it was only after living in New York for a couple years that I really started wearing a lot of color. Having some distance from home and seeing it from a different perspective led me to incorporate pieces not just from Nepal but elsewhere too. And as my clothes got more colorful, I started wearing a lot more jewelry—hair ornamentations, beads, silver and gold jewelry.
Photo: Courtesy of Arpana Rayamjhi / @arpanaraya
The Ultimate Style Inspo
Ethnic women in Nepal look so incredibly ornate, I can’t help but be influenced in every possible way. Each ethnic group in Nepal is distinctly different from one another and we all look original. It’s also a dying culture now that more and more people are adopting Indian saris or a more modern, Western wardrobe—which in their own way are very beautiful, too. That phenomenon is happening around the world and it seems unstoppable, but it makes me so sad to see that spirit of identity and adornment take a very homogenous form. So I wear a lot of things that are very specific to certain cultures because there are so many beautiful things the world has to offer.
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