“I wanted to wear a Jimi Hendrix t-shirt but all they have is very boyish,” she said with a giggle. [break]
That’s when she decided that she wanted to design her own t-shirts, and it was when she met one her college friends, Shakya, that the idea conceptualized. And almost after a year, the young entrepreneurs are now engaged with their store in Jhamsikhel.
A relatively small place—space and height wise—Earthy’s base is the ground floor of an old house, it’s décor traditionally done and the clothes different from what most of the stores in Kathmandu offers. The creative duo’s clothing outlet offers hemp clothing for men and women but it’s exclusive in terms of its designs and artwork.
“I’d call it [Earthy] a boutique in terms of customization and exclusivity,” Limbu said.
At Earthy, the print design for any t-shirt doesn’t exceed 50. And that’s what some people like.
Birgit Lienhart-Gyawali, an Austrian freelancer based in Kathmandu and a regular at Earthy that opened in June 2010, said she stopped by the shop because “it looked different” and the designs caught her attention.
“I also like the idea that it’s not mass and everyone is not wearing it,” she added.
And as the Austrian native browsed through the hangers, the storeowners answered her queries about the fabric.
Shakya, who has been wearing hemp for a long time, explained his love for the material: “soft and comfortable.” He also added that the material is apt for both summers and winters.
At Earthy, the clothing material is not 100% hemp though; it’s 55% hemp and 45% cotton splashed with the designs by Limbu and Shakya, both graduates in Business Information System.
After graduating in 2008, Limbu worked for an organization that dealt with carbon trading and sustainable development and Shakya switched between a travel agency and An IT-based company before agreeing to team up in May 2009.
The duo shared that they worked hard to formalize their idea, creating designs and choosing color combinations for their selected t-shirts, some of which are “limited edition”.
“We met the right people, it was the right time and we had the right air of energy,” Shakya said of staring their own venture. “I didn’t want to go abroad. Hard work pays anywhere.”
And they are working hard to create designs and style that they’ve always wanted. While Earthy’s men’s collection only have hemp t-shirts and a few boxers, women get to choose from hemp halters, sleeveless, tie-around and t-shirts, some with hand embroideries.
All of their t-shirts are inspired by nature in some form or the other, shared Shakya. “Also music,” he added.
“We try to incorporate nature and music along with other abstract ideas. That’s a common interest we share,” Shakya said.
But their t-shirts have more to them, an art series being one. Earthy’s t-shirt series ranges from nature to music, cartoons and vintage bikes. Its nature series is based on what the duo calls “the fingerprint of life,” a t-shirt that has a finger print attached to the roots of a tree-like structure while their music series has the likes of Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix.
“The ideas are all spontaneous,” Limbu said. No brainstorming or meetings but just sitting down to further develop after an idea sparks.
And a year after the initial idea and two months after Earthy, the two college friends are satisfied with their achievements.
“We wanted to do something on the verge of organic, not fully organic though, but something eco-friendly,” Shakya said. “We want to believe that our future is organic and from our own level, this is our contribution to saving our planet.”
With the message of going eco-friendly in a style, Earthy is planning to introduce its fall and winter collection along with some earthy tone of colors for every season.
“We plan to increase our range but with the same theme.” Limbu said to which Shakya added, “We want to progress artistically and as a brand as well.”
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