Weathered Prayers

2025, collection

Weathered Prayers reflects my evolving journey with Buddhism, drawing inspiration from female Buddhas and from what I imagine myself wearing upon reaching nirvana. Created with natural dyes, the garments transform like prayer flags weathered by time in the sun, mirroring the way my Buddhist path has unfolded and how nature has been a part of that path.

Finished looks from the Weathered Prayers collection

The process

Seven stages, from a visit to a stupa to the finished collection.

Concept

Weathered Prayers reflects my evolving journey with Buddhism. I drew from female Buddhas and from what I imagine myself wearing upon reaching nirvana. Dyed with natural dyes, the garments change the way prayer flags do when they weather in the sun.

Research and inspiration

Physical research

Visiting a Buddhist stupa, where I became inspired by prayer flags.

Notebook

Collecting images from my Buddhist uncle in Thailand, mixed with my own research.

Preliminary sketching

Drawing from the clothing worn by the Buddhas and the architecture of the temples, combined with my own style, so the feeling my meditation gives me comes through.

Fabric dyeing and manipulation

Fabric dyeing

Black bean, chlorophyll, and beet dye baths

After preparing my fabric in an alum mordant bath, I used black beans for blue, beets for pink, marigold extract for yellow, and chlorophyll for green. Inspired by natural dyeing techniques in Thailand, I wanted to recreate the faded colors of prayer flags weathered by the sun.

Manipulations

Pleating, smocking, and ruching, tested before cutting the final garments.

Color story and materials

Color story

Grounded, Pink Lotus, Green Tara, and Compassion.

Materials

100% Egyptian cotton, OEKO-TEX certified. A lotus brooch, fabric buttons, and elastic thread.

Target market

Women aged 20 to 35, and non-binary customers drawn to soft, spiritual aesthetics, in creative cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Seattle, Austin, Toronto, and London. Middle to upper-middle income, ready to invest in unique statement pieces.