While many youngsters of today devote their time and attention to one thing, three friends, Subin Shakya, Srijana Limbu, and Julian James (JJ), have found a way to run a business while spreading an eco-friendly message through their store, Earthy.[break]
“We believe in environmentally friendly things. It shouldn’t just be a fashion statement or just a trend, it should be genuine because the world needs it,” says 26-year-old Subin about what Earthy stands for.
Started “spontaneously” in 2010, Subin shares that the reason Earthy came into being was due to Srijana working on a tee shirt idea featuring Jimi Hendrix since “she wanted to wear a cool t-shirt for girls, but in the market there were either very girly t-shirts or boy’s t-shirts – there was nothing in the middle.” At the same time, Subin had tee shirts on his mind as a great medium for spreading messages. Though the two attended Kathmandu College of Management together, they only launched into business with each other and Srijana’s friend JJ only after college with their first print – the Jimi Hendrix shirt.
From there, the concept of printed tees with messages was born. Inspired by music, nature, science, and sports, among other things, Subin explains, “We take a lot of inspiration when designing, and being a Nepali the first design that comes to mind is Nepali. If I think of a concept I automatically think about how to localize it.” The result being several prints which are Nepal-centric, be it a shirt with the word “Nepal” being constructed next to a “work in progress” sign, or a modern Kathmandu with a clean blue Bagmati asking that we respect the holy river.
Whether the print ends up having a Nepali touch or not, Subin adds, “We try to give it a certain concept or meaning. We try to have something in it.” Some of their earlier and more popular shirt say, “Get high naturally, climb trees” which offers a global message in a humorous manner. Taking the love of nature and life to another level, another shirt simply states “I love trees” which Subin exclaims is true for him and his team.
But what comes out of the stores is just as eco-friendly as the messages they carry. Besides the high-quality hemp yarn that is imported since it is unavailable in Nepal, all other cotton and bamboo materials are Nepali and then dyed, stitched, printed, and made in Nepal just as all the tags on tee-shirts, hoodies, leather belts, sandals, bags, and purses indicate. On top of apparel, Earthy Crafts even had some “book jewelry” and pendants available for sale.
As popular as some of the prints are, they may be a little difficult to find since none of the prints are mass produced. Printing only between 20-50 sets of each design, the owners of Earthy say, “We don’t want to print them in mass at all, we want to give new prints as quickly and as frequently as possible.”To keep up with changes, Earthy plans on providing clothes for three different seasons – winter, summer and spring.
With so many products, the first store that was opened on Environment Day June 5, 2011 in Jhamsikhel grew too small and now Earthy has two locations, one on Mandala Street in Thamel and the latest spot in Kupondole. Setting up in the newest location took three months as all the members of Earthy were busy putting an eco-friendly touch to the space.
From the clothes to the interior, everything is either recycled or handmade. The visiting cards are made from recycled paper and purchases are handed over the counter in bags made of newspaper. From a tree-made from newspapers to recycled wood hanging from the ceiling, the store is an extension of what the three founders believe in. The whole shop itself is earthy.
All under 30 and energetic, Subin says there are perks to getting an early start. “The age that we live in, we’re more aware of a lot of things than our elders. With the Internet phenomena, we are more connected and we know technology more and can access it more. When you’re young, you have more energy. I get tired less and I can work more. We’re enthusiastic and open-minded and more open to change,” he says.
With the support and encouragement from customers, family and friends, Earthy hopes to continue to offer their “quality brands with originality and creativity.”
(Earthy is open from 11am – 7pm every day except Saturdays in Thamel, and from 10am – 7pm everyday in Kupondole.)
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