What are you doing today?
Going to the Carlyle to meet my roommate’s family. We’re taking her niece and nephew to a tea party there.
Are you from New York?
I grew up in Nepal until I was 15, and then I moved to Bangladesh, then Pakistan, then India. And then I came to FIT, which was the first time I came to New York.
Do you miss Nepal?
Sometimes. My mother was adopted by the prince of Nepal, so I grew up in the palace, but I don’t have the royal blood. It did come with its own perks, but when I moved to the U.S., it was almost like a handicap because I didn’t know how to do anything for myself, like laundry and things like that.
Have you always been into fashion?
When I was growing up in Nepal in the eighties, we would get our jeans from Hong Kong. People are very aware of how they dress in Nepal. Men are more fashionable than the women because they have more freedom. I used to go through all the magazines and was very influenced by Boy George.
What’s your style like now?
Influenced mostly by my mood. Today, my mood is to stay warm, so I’m wearing a jacket that I had manufactured in Peru. It’s a copy of an old jacket owned by a Ghurka soldier. The big scarf, my mom gave me.
What kind of clothes do you design?
Fun, colorful ones. I make lots of clothes for the biggest Latin rock stars. It’s all very artsy-fartsy.