A Journey, A Friendship, A Print-The Story Behind Our Summer Collection

Last October, just before Tihar, I took a short trip to Jaipur.

It wasn’t a business trip.
It wasn’t planned with the intention to create.
It was simply a pause.

A pause to spend time with my soul sister, Astrid Beseler, outside Kathmandu, outside routine, outside responsibility. Because here, life is work, schedules, and constant movement. And sometimes, you need to step out of your own rhythm to hear yourself again.

I don’t usually feel comfortable traveling in India alone, even though we are so similar in many ways. But this time felt different. I was excited. She knew India in a way I didn’t, and I trusted that.

We share the same curiosity:
to listen to stories,
to find people building something meaningful,
to understand crafts that carry generations.

In many ways, I was a guest in her world. And sometimes, both of us were completely new to the worlds we stepped into.

They say if you want to truly know a person or a friendship, travel together.
I came back knowing her more deeply, and also understanding myself in a new way.

Jaipur… it stays with you.

It is a city of layers of color, of history, of hands that have practiced the same craft for generations. It is a hub for block printing, textiles, and storytelling through fabric.

She took me everywhere: small workshops, family-run spaces, and design studios. Every place had a story. Every artisan had a rhythm. Every block, every print carried time.

For me, this was not just exploration; it was research, observation, and respect.

At Kokroma, we work very differently.

We focus on weaving textiles based on what is available here in Kathmandu. Our threads are limited. Our colors are limited. And within those limitations, we create.

Mostly stripes.
Simple forms.
Very basic.

And I find that deeply beautiful.

Because simplicity is honest.

But in Jaipur, I witnessed something else: vastness, variation, refinement. Techniques developed over generations with incredible precision.

I couldn’t resist it.

I carried back a few meters of block-printed textiles in my suitcase, not as a shift in direction, but as a piece of admiration.

Because even though Kokroma is rooted in reviving Nepali textiles, my respect for Indian artisans and their craft is real. Inspiration does not take away identity; it deepens it.

And I also thought of you.

Many of you have asked us again and again. “Can you make something in Indian prints?”

So this summer, we listened.

From the textiles I brought back, we created a few special pieces for girls and boys. Small drops. Thoughtful pieces. Made with the same Kokroma care, just carrying a different story.

This is not just a collection.
It is a memory of a journey.
A reflection of friendship.
A tribute to hands that create.

And here you will find our new Jaipur Products

I hope when your children wear these pieces, you feel a little bit of that story too.

With love,
Rewati, Kokroma