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 or bangle.
It's common in Thailand 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 Sin.
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 became highly appreciated fashion accessories, much to our delight.
The following is an attempt at bringing some common sense to the online lore about Kumlais.
Kumlais are not made in temples by monks but by local communities for the temples that buy them.
In the Thai Buddhist tradition, monks do not engage in producing commercial goods and in commercial activities in general.
Kumlais aren't blessed.
To be blessed, they must be obtained during a blessing ceremony at a temple. I don't think most of those pretending to be blessed actually are, because it's expensive to do it, and I didn't see online any convincing videos showing such ceremonies. The only videos that can be found look more like awkward tourist temple videos. Personally, I never considered doing it 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 Buddhists.
However, I will happily arrange for a real personalized blessing ceremony done for your Kumlais at a temple (see next paragraph).
It only takes 2 persons to make a Kumlai, not 20.
Kumlais are Thai, not Tibetan or Nepalese.
Many 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. Some come with certificates, sacred mantras, and other guarantees which don't have any reality other than marketing make believe.
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 for a spiritual intention, protection, prosperity, harmony in relationships and more, 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, which includes temple donations and a service fee covering the transportation, the blessing ceremony, and the filming and editing of the video.
Please reach out via the Contact page to tell me more with a short note about your intention (50 words maximum).
The Pha Si temple is the place where the blessings take place. The temple does not sell Kumlais. I say this as some people reached out to me after going there to buy some and not finding 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
