Kanchiko’s Relaunch Brings Nepali Heritage to Western Silhouettes

Lately, Saylesa Nepal has found herself standing at the front of a room more than ever. As the founder and designer of Kanchiko, a South Asian brand rooted in her Nepali heritage, she’s captivating a room by not only bringing the East to the West, but combining the regions of the world she has lived in and loved, though fashion. 

The rooms Nepal is spending most of her time in nowadays are filled with fellow entrepreneurs, investors, mentors and her biggest cheerleaders. As a member of this summer’s University of Denver’s BASE Camp cohort for student-led startups, Nepal is learning firsthand how to grow her business and bring Kanchiko to life.  

“They’re helping me with the process of relaunching the brand and providing mentorship, support and knowledge that I didn’t even know that I needed,” said Nepal. 

While the three-piece Shailija set just launched, Kanchiko has actually been around for several years. Nepal started her career as a fashion designer in 2020 with the launch of the brand, which took the Denver Fashion Week runway in 2022. At the time, she was designing hoodies, shorts and elevated active and streetwear. This Kanchiko relaunch symbolizes the evolution of Nepal as a person and a designer, with more emphasis on her Nepali heritage along with the progression of her personal style. 

“This time around, I’m focusing more on my heritage. Pulling from cultural patterns… and turning that into more Western silhouettes,” said Nepal. 

The first Kanchiko look requires a material called Dhaka that takes 16 steps to make. As a blend of cotton and wool and with a patterning representing the Lali Guran, the national flower of Nepal, every detail behind the three-piece set was created with intention. 

“Nepal is such a tiny country, but a melting pot in itself,” she said. With over 140 different ethnic groups and over 120 different dialects making up the country, cultural differences are endless. 

“This is only a snippet of cultural representation,” Nepal shared. However, it does represent a cultural combination that isn’t often considered. While the shawl is very present in Scandinavian fashion, the combination of the pattern and silhouette in the Shailija set is introducing a South Asian-inspired style that isn’t worn or appreciated often, regardless of region. 

“I’ve always wanted to tell a story through my pieces,” said Nepal. “In this day and age where anyone can just start a brand… I feel like the story is really important. So this time around, I’m really digging into the past.” 

The historical significance behind Kanchiko pieces are present in every aspect of the brand: from the look, to the inspiration, to the brand name itself. Kanchiko originates from the term Kanchi, meaning the youngest daughter in a household, “it’s essentially a loving name and a force,” said Nepal. 

Nepal is proving to be that force both in her family and within her community as she brings Kanchiko back to life, six years after her original launch. 

“When I started in 2020, now to relaunching in 2026, it’s night and day,” said Nepal. “The best word I can use to describe how things have been going is just purely growth. Even subconsciously, I had been growing in the back of my mind, and I just hadn’t known.”

Within the South Asian community, others are starting to create modern silhouettes too. But Nepal plans to take her time with Kanchiko. As a supporter of sustainable and slow fashion, she aims to create a brand that consists of very limited drops. This is partly because she relies on what is already in the Nepali market when it comes to fabrics. But it’s mostly to ensure the pieces she designs and sells are truly timeless and appreciated by the wearer. 

“Essentially what I am trying to do is create a category for South Asian wear with a Western spin on it,” said Nepal. 

While she is a big supporter of fellow South Asian designers who are reinventing the wheel in a similar way, there are also designers who are appropriating South Asian culture through fashion. 

There are many examples of big brands taking versions of South Asian heritage and making them their own, without the acknowledgement or cultural celebration that is an important layer in preserving cultural traditions and realities. 

Additionally, these brands take a silhouette and sell their version for much more than the price that it would go for in the South Asian countries where the piece originated. 

The three-piece set that is the silhouette for Kanchiko’s first drop is called a lehenga, and has been worn in South Asian countries for centuries. Nepal was on the hunt for a graduation dress and kept finding that three-piece silhouette styled as a Scandinavian look. 

“I was like, ‘why am I seeing so much of this, I’ve had it in my closet since I was a kid,’” she shared. “That sparked something in me so then when I was creating the collection, I was like, ‘alright, Asian culture and fashion is so bright, it’s so vibrant, it’s so forward, that you wouldn’t see any person on the street wearing it.’” 

Nepal knew she wanted to give credit to the South Asian community for the origination of this style. While the patterning is specific to Nepali heritage, the silhouette is a nod to the South Asian community as a whole. And since it was already being worn in Western regions, the Shailija set came to life as something that bridges various cultures and finally offers the appreciation that the South Asian community deserves. 

“Right now, I feel like it’s very important to give that cultural credit and appreciation to where the fashion originated from,” Nepal said. 

While this is not a new phenomenon as we see Indo-Western fashion evolve, Kanchiko is bringing a small, but mighty, country to life. 

“This is created for the modern Nepali diaspora,” Nepal emphasized. While often a lehenga is worn and then gets lost in the closet, the Shailija set is meant to be paired with anything and everything. From denim with the top to a blouse with the skirt and even wearing the shawl as a belt, there are endless possibilities when it comes to ensuring that a Kanchiko piece becomes a wardrobe staple. 

With material sourced from Nepal that is meant to last, Kanchiko pieces are truly brought to life by the wearer. In launching the brand with a three-piece set, Nepal has proven that a traditional garment can be styled in many ways, especially by embracing the Western silhouettes that are at the foundation of the brand. Made in a bold red color, the opportunities for this look are endless. 

“I just think you need to know the power of styling,” Nepal exclaimed. “Then you’re set for life.” 

The Shailija Set is live on shop.kanchiko.com. Stay up to date with future drops by following Kanchiko on Instagram and TikTok.