Lily B., French Designer
I discovered Kumlais in Bangkok, Thailand, where I grew up.
I'm thrilled to share these fashion accessories with you, they're truly remarkable design pieces with exceptional qualities.
Kumlais are brilliantly shiny, lightweight, silent, soft, flexible, comfortable, durable, hypoallergenic and elegant. They are also water and scratch-resistant, tarnish-proof, never feel cold and are incredibly strong.
Wishing you an enjoyable read,
Lily
Kumlai, in Thai กำไล, means Buddhist bangle.
In Thailand, it's common to see people wearing a sacred thread (sometimes several) tied around their wrists as symbols of protection, luck, and success. They're simple braided cotton bracelets called Sai Sins.
Believers and tourists receive them during blessings from monks when visiting temples in the morning and during certain communal celebrations. The blessings are given in exchange for donations (money, food, baskets filled with daily necessities).
Kumlais originally began as a variation of the Sai Sin tradition, obtained like Sai Sins at temples during blessing ceremonies and worn as amulets. They were unattractive, made of hard clear plastic with gold leaf inside. You still occasionally see people wearing them.
Then the beautiful Kumlais we know today began appearing in temples. They quickly moved beyond the temples to become highly appreciated fashion accessories, much to our delight.
Originally, Kumlais aren't blessed. To be blessed, they must be obtained during a blessing ceremony at the temple. For those found online claiming to be blessed, this requires taking them to a temple for a mass blessing, which is not considered to have much value by practitioners. Personally, I don't do this for the Kumlais I sell because I'm not a religious Buddhist, and I believe the same applies to most of my customers, who also aren't Buddhist. However, I will happily arrange for a Thai Buddhist person to have a personalized blessing ceremony done for your Kumlais (see below).
Kumlais are Thai, not Tibetan.
Most Kumlais found online are manufactured in China and sold by wholesalers worldwide. They're sometimes filled with glitter rather than gold leaf, sometimes just paint which is why some smell of chemicals (authentic Kumlais have a pleasant scent or no scent). They sometimes come with certificates, sacred mantras, and other guarantees. These practices are typical of Chinese manufacturers to give credibility to all the products they copy. These bracelets also lack the durability of the originals, having a tendency to separate or breaking at the connector.
Of course, Kumlais themselves are already a blessing!
But if you would love a real, personalized blessing for your Kumlais, I can ask a Thai Buddhist person to arrange it for you at Wat Pha Si Temple in Bangkok. I’ll even send you a video of the ceremony as a keepsake!
The base price for this service is USD60, which includes temple donations (USD25) and a service fee covering transportation, the blessing ceremony, and an edited video.
Please reach out via the Contact page to tell me more about what you'd like.
Wat Pha Si Temple
View from the canal
The school
Inner courtyard
I buy the Kumlais I sell on this site directly from a local community.
Each one is made from a flexible, transparent tube that’s extra strong, and filled with genuine gold or silver leaf — that’s what gives them their unique color.
I personally check every order, and of course, you’re satisfied or refunded. My wish is for your Kumlais to become part of your everyday life and for their gentle glow to accompany you wherever you go.
Visit the Kumlai Instagram and Facebook pages to discover beautiful color combinations and lifestyle inspirations.
With warmth and gratitude,
Lily
Kumlai is a brand of Lalicorn Pte Ltd. For any inquiries, please use the form available on the Contact page. You can reach the admin team at contact@kumlai.com
