OHMA. What came before, made for today.

I’ve always been drawn to traditional garments, not just the ones from home, but from everywhere I’ve traveled. Clothing, historically, was never just about looking beautiful. It often responded to geography, to climate, to what was available. Sometimes it was even shaped by politics, the number of pleats allowed only for royalty, a certain weave reserved for mourning, a pattern banned outside of court. What we wear has always said something, whether or not we meant it to.

That’s why every chance I travel, I end up including a stop at a textile museum, somewhere, some traditional piece I want to see up close. It was on one of these trips, at the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles in Thailand, that I saw a garment with a detail I couldn’t stop thinking about: buttons set in threes, three groups of three. I remember thinking how good that would look worn everyday. That’s where the idea for OHMA first took shape.

What I kept running into was this: the traditional garments I loved were almost always formal now. Ceremonial pieces, occasion wear, things made for a specific moment, not for my everyday. But these garments weren’t always this way, many of them were once worn daily, before they became reserved for special occasions. I wanted to wear that world, but in a way that fit our everyday. Something we could put on without a second thought, without worrying about sweating through it by noon, without needing air conditioning just to feel comfortable in our own clothes.

That’s what OHMA became: we look to the cuts, techniques, and values that have shaped clothing across generations, and build from there, not as imitation, but as continuation. The result is easy, wearable pieces, made to be lived in.

We chose to focus on tops, and only tops. We believe they deserve the same care as anything else you’d call a foundation, cuts and proportions built to be worn on repeat, not once, comfortable enough to reach for without thinking. Staying focused is how we make sure of that. We choose fabrics that are durable, natural fibers that breathe, and take the time to get every proportion right.

Beyond the clothes themselves, we hope OHMA becomes a small way to keep these traditions alive, not just worn, but understood. Every piece comes with a bit of the history behind it, the techniques, the places, the meaning behind the details we borrow. Some things are worth knowing, not just wearing.

Still thinking about those buttons,
Nadia
Founder & Creative Director, OHMA