When people hear “fashion designer,” they often imagine glamorous runways, extravagant gowns, and a life filled with glitter. What they don’t imagine is the actual designer, hunched over a sewing machine at 2 AM, covered in fabric scraps, desperately trying to make sure my sleeve actually matches my armhole. (Spoiler: sometimes it doesn’t.)

For me, fashion has never just been about clothes. It’s about stories. Growing up in Nepal, I saw how every piece of fabric, every stitch, carried memory and meaning. Later, studying and working in New York, I discovered that fashion could also be about reinvention, taking what you know and reshaping it into something new. My work has always been an attempt to balance those two worlds: heritage and modernity, Kathmandu and New York, memory and possibility.

The Collection That Changed Everything

My recent collection, NAYA YORK, was my attempt to fuse these two worlds together. It was unisex, because I’ve always believed clothing should be about how it makes you feel, not which aisle you shop in. It uses Dhaka fabric shipped from Nepal, alongside donated denim and rich velvets sourced in New York. I like to think of it as a conversation: Nepal says “heritage,” New York replies “energy,” and together they create something neither could have said alone.

Of course, behind the poetic vision was a lot of chaos. I was the sole designer, creative director, patternmaker, and seamstress. That meant days of sketching, researching, sourcing, sewing, unpicking, resewing, fittings, and praying the final outfit would stay on the model. (Thankfully, it did, and not just on one model but on multiple, proving my unisex concept actually worked.) When I finally saw NAYA YORK walk the runway at the Silver Needle Runway Show, alongside industry experts, it wasn’t just a presentation. It was like watching my dream stand up and walk on its own two feet.

Carrying Nepal Abroad

After that, my journey expanded beyond the classroom. I collaborated with Prashant Tamrakar at his international platform Fashion Expression to showcase my designs for the Nepali community in Maryland and New York. To stand in front of my own people abroad and say, “Look, our fabrics and stories belong on every stage,” was a moment I’ll never forget.

Later, I was grateful to present my collection at the New York Fashion Week Festival. For me, it wasn’t about prestige or scale, it was about representation. It was another opportunity to show how Nepali fabrics and stories can find a place in new contexts, and that in itself was deeply meaningful.

Why Fashion Fusion Matters

People often ask me: “What’s the point of fashion? Isn’t it just clothes?” To me, fashion is about identity. The blazer you wear to work, the sari you drape for a festival, the jacket you pull on before a night out, these aren’t just fabrics, they’re little pieces of who you are and what makes you feel at home.

My dream is to see a world where those blazers, jackets, and dresses don’t always come from fast fashion stores, but instead carry our fabrics and our heritage. Imagine walking into a meeting in a perfectly cut Dhaka blazer. That’s fashion fusion, not just for the runway, but for everyday life.

The Highs, the Lows, and the Laughs

It hasn’t always been easy. There were times I felt like giving up, when the pressure of being an international student in the U.S. and chasing a creative dream felt overwhelming. There were moments when my sewing machine broke down mid-project and I thought, “Well, that’s it. Guess I’ll just staple this dress together.”

But there were also moments of pure joy, like watching a model in my design smile at themselves in the mirror and embrace it.

Humor has always been my way of surviving the tough parts. I’ve learned to laugh at the chaos, to find beauty in the mess. After all, isn’t that what fashion is? Taking scraps and turning them into something you never imagined.

Looking Forward

Through my brand, KST BY KRESHA, I want to keep creating designs that honor Nepal while speaking to the world. I want my work to remind people that heritage isn’t something locked in the past, it can be worn, lived, and celebrated every day.

At the end of the day, I am just one young designer trying to stitch two worlds together. If my journey inspires even one reader to see Nepali culture with new pride, or one young creative to believe their story matters, then I think it’s worth every late night at the sewing machine.

Because fashion is more than clothes. It’s identity. It’s memory. It’s resilience. And sometimes, it’s just hoping your sleeve matches your armhole.