“Travel opens up your heart, broadens your mind and fills your life with stories to tell.”
-Paula Bendfelt

The Kosha team embodies passionate environmentalists who believe in eco-conscious living, a vision that is made tangible through products. From the wool shearing process to the final packaging and after-sales service, Kosha offers not just a product but an experience. This was further fuelled by a community of wanderlust travellers and adventure enthusiasts who bring their own unique stories of self-discovery and adventure to the table. Some climbed the highest peaks, some explored diverse cultures of the world and some just shared their dreams and journeys from their homes, but this ignited into a beautiful community of different colours, each bringing their own extraordinary adventures to the table. 

Out of a diverse team of adventure junkies and product testers, a large chunk of the Kosha community is composed of passionate mountaineers. Our founder, Yuktie Jhagtiani, is a certified mountaineer from the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute of Darjeeling and has always felt a strong affinity to the mountains from her earliest childhood days with her family. Hence, mountaineering has been a key inspiration in curating the Kosha winter wear collection. 

Inspired by personal experiences and the hardships encountered while strenuous sporting activities, the travel wear collection was created to be as technical and as travel friendly as possible while also being gentle on the environment and animals. 

Our entire collection is technical in nature keeping pragmatism as the top priority. Intricately designed without compromise on quality with features that enhance comfort and performance during travel, each Kosha garment has an optimum weight to warmth ratio ensuring that despite being lightweight, each product provides the right level of warmth. One of our hero products is the Kosha Base Layer, which is our modern take on thermals. These are made of Merino Wool and Bamboo Fiber and are 100% eco-friendly. Unlike itchy traditional woollen thermals, our Merino Bamboo base layers are made from soft and new age nanotech fibre.

Each garment has been designed with considerable detail with its own unique technical features to ensure you receive the most travel friendly, comfortable garment. At Kosha we recommend winter layering as the most effective and efficient way to tackle cold winters, especially during high energy activities such as mountaineering. Winter layering essentially has 3 key layers; Base layer, mid-layer and shell layer. To complete the entire look, accessories are essential on top of the layers. 

Base layer is the one that is closest to your body. Our Merino Bamboo Base layers offer maximum comfort while being itch and odour free and giving you the needed warmth. With high moisture wicking properties, it allows you to stay sweat free and prevents sweat build up to protect you from cold shivers. 

[caption id="attachment_3451" align="aligncenter" width="890"] Rebecca in our Merino Bamboo base layer in Ladakh -10°C[/caption]

The mid-layer is the one that comes on top of the base layer. Inspired by the beautiful weather of the lush Doon Valley situated within the Shivalik Hills in the Lesser Himalayas, our Supima cotton long sleeve pullover or sweater is the perfect addition to your winter travel wardrobe. These women's Supima cotton long sleeves can be worn as a t-shirt for light winter travel wear (12°C to 25°C) and as a mid-layer over thermals or below jackets for winter sports and adventure in colder climates (-5°C to 11°C).  Our Pullovers are made from Supima Cotton which has been made from a strong fiber to make it as long lasting as possible despite washing. With minimal pilling properties, they do not shed like regular sweaters giving you the most technical, durable sweaters appropriate for all your mountaineering needs. 

[caption id="attachment_3450" align="aligncenter" width="890"] Our testers in our Supima Cotton Pullovers for Him & Her in Manali 10°C[/caption]

The final and the most important layer is the shell layer, better known as the winter jacket. Our Kosha shell-layer jackets are waterproof, snowproof and warm, specially designed to be lightweight without down feathers but keep you warm and insulated in sub-zero temperatures. We try to be animal friendly by using a special quality Polyfil to insulate the jacket instead of cruelly sourced down feathers. The purpose of our collection of Kosha jackets is not solely to keep you warm and comfortable in winter, but also to make you look elegant or stylish when you go out, all the while guilt free as our designs are eco-conscious. 

Ski jackets and pants: Kosha’s Snow Hiking Jackets have an in-built ski pass pocket on the sleeve and a powder skirt to keep the snow out. Specially designed women's jackets also contain the underarm vent zips which are comfortable for deep winters and difficult hikes up snowy mountain ranges. Kosha's Hard Shell, Waterproof Ski Pants are made of 100% Nylon with PU Breathable coating. Tackling the slopes just got better with our built in features such as thigh vents for increased breathability and the gaiters to stop the snow from entering the pants. Our ski jackets come in vibrant and neutral colour options and have been tested across various terrains and temperatures, from a monsoon hike in the Sahyadris to Antarctica and Everest Base Camp. 

[caption id="attachment_3460" align="aligncenter" width="890"] Harish Sharma Wearing Kosha Waterproof Ski Jacket in Himachal Pradesh 0°C[/caption]

Puffer jackets: Kosha's Puffer Jackets are super lightweight and can be packed in a pouch, giving you more room to pack other essentials, since we understand climbing the mountains does not leave room for the unnecessary.  We’ve put comfort and style into one, with our down free winter puffer jacket. Its reversible feature and insulated fabric will keep you warm and stylish in snow, wind and rain. Absolute in quality and design, this jacket is perfect for the lower peaks and suitable for temperature ranges of 0°C to 20°C.

Parka Jackets: Our collection of Parka jackets are water resistant, warm and are the ideal snow hiking jackets. This slightly long, insulated Parka comes with both zip and button closure. Designed with a snow shield and poly-fleece lining, this jacket comes in handy in snow, wind and rain. These are suitable for extremely cold weather conditions (-20°C to 0°C ). 

[caption id="attachment_3448" align="aligncenter" width="890"] Wearing Kosha Parka Jacket in Germany 0°C[/caption]

The final layer to complete the outfit is accessories. Now a common belief is that accessories are just worn to add an element of style and make outfits fashionable. However, winter fashion accessories are a vital part of the outfit to add warmth and protection, especially with Kosha’s technical accessories. For mountaineering, technical socks, gloves and caps are essential to stay warm and protected. 

GLOVES:

Waterproof gloves: are designed with a nylon ripstop outer shell , with a soft Bemberg lining and a flocking patch at the back of the thumb to wipe the sweat off your face with great ease. Gloves with single-hand draw-cord allow fastening at the cuff and granite grip palms offer extra durability to navigate through the snow, and an elasticated wrist cuff prevents loss of heat.

Touch Screen Friendly Merino wool gloves: for dry winters are the liner gloves that lock the body heat and keep the hands warm in cold temperatures. We have innovated and put a special conductive thread at the tip of the index finger and thumb so that you can use your smart phones to capture your memories, track your hike and easily use your fingers. 

[caption id="attachment_3447" align="aligncenter" width="890"] Wearing Kosha Muffler, Touch Enabled Gloves and Beanie in Manali -5°C[/caption]

CAPS: 

Water Resistant Russian Cap, designed for the fearless mountaineering enthusiasts set to explore the great outdoors, all the while looking super chic. It is the perfect winter accessory for extreme cold ranges with chances of snowfall. It's uber soft and warm which makes it an excellent choice for winter travel as well. 

Skull caps: Accessorize your winter clothes with the coolest skull caps to create a street style look. Spiff up with the classic double-layered cap made of highly durable & smooth cotton fabric for an all seasons style. The ribbed weave of the skull cap makes the fit comfortable and elegant. Our collection of winter skull caps can also be that extra layer below your beanie on a mountain hike.

[caption id="attachment_3446" align="aligncenter" width="890"] Wearing Russian cap in Manali -5°C[/caption]

SOCKS: Kosha has the best Merino Wool Winter socks in India. We have put cushioning on the pressure points of the feet and incorporated arch support, thus making it an ideal choice for mountaineering.  These fibers ensure extreme comfort and can be worn between -5°C to 15°C. It keeps your feet warm without overheating due to its temperature regulating properties. These socks are padded under the toes and below the heel thus reducing fatigue and aching feet. These are designed to protect your feet pressure points, and prevent the rubbing of the sole within the boots. It contains a body mapped mesh weave which makes the socks breathable, helps in managing moisture, and prevents odour. Plus, these socks don’t itch like traditional wool and keep you comfortable in extremely cold temperatures. We have even designed the ribs above the ankle in such a way that they are soft but have a good grip, preventing slippage or blisters.  

Each Kosha product is designed with utmost care to ensure your mountaineering journey is as seamless as can be. With a pragmatic technical aspect added to each product from personal experience, Kosha has kept the customer at the core and revolutionised Indian eco-conscious winter wear. With a true passion and love for mountaineering, we understand the need for technical clothing in this adventurous sport and we are here to cater to all your requirements. Shop your adventure gear at Kosha or contact us for a free appointment on the right eco-conscious wear for you! 

This article is written by Team Kosha member: Hithika Panjabi

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Your feedback means a lot to us. If you have tips on slow travel in India, questions, comments or you want to write for the Kosha Journal, reach out to us at konnect@kosha.co . We look forward to hearing from you. Stay tuned for more stories! Share your adventure and experience with us by tagging us @koshatravelwear on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and use #mykoshastory !