The Valley is shrouded in monsoon clouds and the temperature is mercurial. Clothes cling to your body, and should you happen to lean somewhere, you actually feel sweat drops taking shape under your skin.
The answer to all this natural discomfort is to go natural. Fibres like bamboo, banana, soyamilk, soyabean, even the stinging allo (type of sisnu) and the often misunderstood hemp are the perfect companions this rainy season.
Two stores, Earthy and Karuna, sell Nepal made and designed clothes from these natural fibres. The yarn may be imported from China but everything else is Nepali. From beautiful temple-wall carvings to designs beautifully handcrafted by Nepali artists, these stores are also socially conscious and have been advocating for cleaner rivers.
Dyed with non-toxic, azo-free methods, these clothes are said to possess medical benefits. They are lightweight, breathable and cultivated without using pesticides. In Europe and North America, they are favourites among mothers who want to keep their toddlers from allergies.
Did you know hemp is the oldest natural fibre known to humans? And that the word canvas comes from the word cannabis? Now you can take refuge in culture and art to escape from this season's humidity.
Earthy, Pulchowk. Women's t-shirts from Rs 650 to 1550. Men's t-shirts from Rs 690 to 1450.
Karuna, Darbar Marg. Cotton-wear from Rs 600 to 1200. Hemp and other fibres from Rs 1200 upwards.
