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, elegant, lightweight, silent, soft, flexible, comfortable, and durable. 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, is a rigid or semi rigid bracelet of the bangle type.
It's common in Thailand to see people wearing a sacred thread (sometimes several) tied around the wrist as a sign of protection, luck, or success. They're simple braided cotton bracelets called Sai Sin. Believers and tourists receive them during blessings by monks when visiting certain temples and during communal celebrations. The blessings come with donations from the believer (money, food, baskets filled with daily necessities).
Kumlais originally began as a variation of the Sai Sin tradition, obtained like Sai Sins at certain temples during blessing ceremonies. They were rather ugly, 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. They quickly became highly appreciated fashion accessories, much to our delight.
Kumlais are not made in temples by monks but by local communities for the temples that buy them.
In the Thai Buddhist tradition, monks are not supposed to engage in producing commercial goods or in commercial activities in general. I personally know of two communities that produce and sell Kumlais to temples.
Kumlais aren't blessed by default.
To be blessed, they must be taken to a temple and blessed during a ceremony, for a specific person and a specific purpose.
I don't think the sellers I saw online who claim their Kumlais are blessed actually do it, especially since I've never seen a convincing video of such a ceremony. The only ones I've found look like awkward tourist footage.
Also, to my knowledge, it’s not customary for monks and Thai temples to bless commercial stock for resale outside of the temple grounds. It’s actually frowned upon. I asked my Thai friends what they thought of these claims, and they say it’s almost certainly false. They gave me an example from 2024: a monk who reportedly blessed figurines of Moo Deng, the pygmy hippo, outside the temple grounds. These figurines were intended for resale. The monk was ordered to leave his temple within 7 days. I found a source in English: Khaosod English article. Another friend sent me a photo of a man who doesn’t look like a Thai monk, blessing a batch of lip gloss in a private shrine, not a temple. It’s all she could find online on the subject. What monks do, however, is bless amulets during ceremonies and then sell them to believers on the temple grounds for the benefit of the temple.
Personally, I never considered doing it for the Kumlais I sell.
However, I will happily arrange for a real personalized blessing ceremony for your Kumlais at a temple: see the next section below and the Blessing ceremony story.
It only takes two people to make a Kumlai, not twenty as I've read online.
I know how Kumlais are made; I have seen the process many times. It takes place in countryside communities. Women fill the tubing with gold or silver leaf at home. Then someone collects what they've made. The final steps of cutting and closing the bangles take place in a separate workshop and require only one person.
Kumlais are Thai, not Tibetan or Nepalese.
I have never heard of or seen Kumlais in these countries, and I didn't find any online when I searched.
It seems many Kumlais found online are manufactured in China and sold by wholesalers worldwide.
Some are filled with glitter rather than gold leaf, sometimes just paint.
Of course, Kumlais themselves are already a blessing!
But if you would love a genuine, personalized blessing for your Kumlais, for a specific goal in your life, or any other intention, such as protection, prosperity or harmony in relationships, I can arrange it for you at the beautiful 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 $60 USD / €55 EUR / £46 GBP which includes the temple donation, the offerings and a service fee covering the time and transportation of the person going to the temple, as well as the filming and editing of the video.
Reach out via the Contact page to tell me more with a short note about your intention (50 words maximum).
Check the Blessing ceremony story.
The Pha Si temple is where the blessings take place. The temple does not sell Kumlais. I mention this because some people reached out to me after going there to buy some and ending up disappointed that they couldn’t find any.
The Wat Pha Si
Inner courtyard
The Sala Kan Prian entrance
The Venerable Phra Phanwit
View from the canal
The school
I buy the Kumlais I sell on this site directly from a local community.
My content is original and written by me. All my photos and videos are real, by that I mean they are not AI generated.
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
