Right now, what is hip and happening amongst Nepali youth are local t-shirt designs and prints. And these t-shirts are gaining popularity amongst young consumers by the day for all the right reasons. [break]
T-shirt businesses initiated by the youth or targeting the youth, or both, are also increasing perhaps because of the capital prospects in this market and the growing number of buyers. Locally designed t-shirts are currently a whim, say businessmen Pradeep Man Shakya, the Proprietor of over two decades old Shraman Apparels, and Rupak Shrestha, the Communication Manager at Local Pasal, a four-months-old venture.
Shraman Apparels houses two t-shirt brands – the 1997 label Karuna and the most recent Juju Tees and Prints. While Karuna aimed at promoting local resources mainly in countries abroad, Juju Tees and Prints was started with a motive to specifically cater to Nepali youth.
“Many young people gave me the feedback that they liked Karuna products but that they were a bit expensive for them. So, I decided to start a new label focusing on the youth, manufacturing t-shirts that are affordable and that are able to inspire a positive feeling towards Nepal amongst the youth,” says Proprietor Shakya, who being an art student back in his days, was very interested in promoting Nepali art as well as culture in the younger generation. “Nowadays, there are lots of negative feelings about Nepal. There are many young Nepalis who are not aware about their history,” says Shakya adding, “We like to consume foreign products and neglect home-grown ones, although the products are of high quality and are being accepted by importers in other countries.”
According to Shakya, Juju wears have maintained export quality standards while being reasonably priced and innovatively designed. Its print concepts, most of which are conceptualized by Shakya himself and designed by a team of young local designers, are indeed very creative.
Juju wears has been able to bring popular comic characters such as Batman and Spiderman to Nepal through its prints. In one of the t-shirts from this label, Spiderman can be seen swinging across a Dharahara backdrop while in another, Batman is seen in front of a stupa with khukuri in each of his hands.
“Our band fuses the modern with the cultural to bring out a Nepali flavor,” says Brand Manager Sunnivh Subba. He believes that the popularity behind Juju T-shirts has to do with the fact that Nepalis always have their culture ingrained within them. Especially for Nepalis abroad, these t-shirts are a way to connect to the home that they have left behind.
“Our proprietor is someone who really appreciates art and hence, we’ve tried to exude an art gallery rather than just a clothing store vibe,” shares Subba. The ‘gallery’ currently holds about 80 different designs selling t-shirts priced from Rs 750 to Rs 1250 at its exclusive store in Jhamsikhel. Another of its branch is also opening soon at Lazimpat.
“Our t-shirts are not just for fashion. They are about utility, value for money and most importantly imparting meaningful messages about Nepali history, culture and identity,” says Shakya.
For Local Pasal initiators as well, the t-shirts are more about promoting local art and design. “Our primary purpose is to sell art. Profit and business are important, but secondary,” says Shrestha of Local Pasal, that offers pure cotton t-shirts, made and designed in Nepal.
“We track certain whims and trends going on in our society and put them into our t-shirts,” Shrestha says. ‘Aayo MaPaSe’ (or ‘Here Comes MaPaSe’ which captures the enforcement of the zero-tolerance law towards drinking and driving) and the ‘Jai Bhakundo!’ (or ‘I love Football’ t-shirt designed in-line with the 2013 SAFF Championship) are two of its popular designs.
The ‘Jai Bhakundo!’ design has also been translated to street art. According to Shrestha, in the near future, Local Pasal will be promoting art not just through t-shirts but also through other mediums.
The creativity and art in these locally designed t-shirts are definitely its biggest strength. “Locally made t-shirts are superb. They represent our local creativity, culture and buzz,” says Sumit Bala, 23. This huge Pink Floyd fan who usually buys Pink Floyd prints now also owns half a dozen locally designed t-shirts. “I’m also an art and literature enthusiast. So I like to wear t-shirts with funny, sarcastic lines and cultural prints. With such t-shirts, I try to represent our culture and personal affinity,” he adds.
Nishant Shrestha, 26, is another ardent fan of locally made tees. “I’m a patriotic person and like these t-shirts for the Nepalipan in them. I feel a different kind of pride when I wear them,” says Shrestha, who usually buys prints related to Nepal and its culture. He’s also gifted such t-shirts to his friends abroad and believes that these t-shirts are also a way to represent Nepal. Attsh, ‘Butta’ designs from threadpaints.com, Station, and Juju Tees are some of the local brands that he really likes. Shrestha is satisfied both with the quality of the material and also the price of such t-shirts which vary from Rs 450 to as much as 1,300. “Rs 600 to Rs 1,000 for t-shirts are reasonable prices,” opines Shrestha.
Another t-shirt print that has won the hearts of many is the Maicha Wo Baucha prints. These fictional characters of a Newari girl (maicha) and boy (baucha) conceptualized and illustrated by 23-year-old Bukesh Maharjan gained popularity through Facebook. They became so popular that there was much demand for Maicha Wo Baucha to appear in t-shirts.
“When I first illustrated these characters, the purpose was simply to appeal to young people. With the t-shirts, I’m promoting the Newari culture that I come from,” says Maharjan, who has handed over the sale and distribution of Maicha Wo Baucha tees to T-shirt Nepal. Maicha Wo Baucha creates designs for festivals, seasons and has also come up with a ‘couple’ t-shirt. There are currently seven different designs of Maicha Wo Baucha, with one more to be released soon.
With such a diverse and competitive market that is only growing, local t-shirt manufacturers and designers have capitalized the right sentiment – the Nepali touch, which seems to be hitting the right chord amongst the young consumers that it targets. Setting itself apart from the numerous brands and replications of brands, it is not only clothing Nepali youths with homemade products but also keeping them close with their Nepali identity.
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