Last month King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk of Bhutan married 21 year old student Jetsun Pema, in a lavish ceremony in a Buddhist monastery in the Himalayas. The wedding was a huge event in the tiny, remote kingdom, as the King is much loved by the 700,000 inhabitants of Bhutan.
The kingdom is known for its “Gross National Happiness” index – an alternative to GDP – which measures personal happiness as opposed to economic growth.
Buhtan has been slow adapt to global technological trends, in an effort to preserve its ancient culture. Only a certain number of tourists are allowed in the country at a time, and television was introduced only 12 years ago. Bhutan is slowly adapting to modern life and now has a version of American Idol, a generation of teenagers on Facebook, and their very own fashion icon.
For her wedding to King Jigme, Jetsun wore a traditional Kira, an ankle length wrap dress hand stitched for months by a team of local weavers. As photographs of the couple spread around the world, Jetsun had the media talking about her style, and a Facebook page dedicated to Bhutan street fashion emerged.
Her traditional embroidered robes, silk jaquards, and colour wovens in beautiful colourways, are stunning and are sure to inspire a whole host of Western designers, and wouldn’t you just love to be one of those few tourists who are allowed into the country!
The clothing is so beautiful and she is stunning.