It will soon be 5 years for The Design Collective store. A fashion concept store I started with one of my oldest friends Binu Wickramasinghe. I am very proud of what we have achieved in the past 5 years. We have worked with incredible talent, met amazing people, and learned so much. We have been featured in British Vogue, Indian Vogue, Grazia Pakistan, London’s Evening Standard, and a few others. It has been an incredible experience. I would be lying if I said it’s always been easy and fun.
In the past 5 years Sri Lankan has faced a number of significant challenges. First, the horror of the easter bombings, then the global pandemic, and now the worst financial crisis in our history. It is often hard to remain positive and hope things will get better, but we must remain optimistic.
I hope all business owners find the strength to keep going and to find things to be positive about. I am proud to have invested in Sri Lanka, and I am hopeful for our next 5 years.
Shahili Gomes-McCoy
This year as The Design Collective celebrates 5 years, we believe that the theme and concept of this year should reflect the message of the forward thinking people of our country, Sri Lanka, which is standing together as one. The colors we have chosen to represent this theme are Black, Gray, White, and Blue, which signifies the journey from darkness to light. We have encouraged our designers to create pieces that represent this theme to be showcased at the event.
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Darshi Keerthisena, the founder, and renown designer of the brand Buddhi Batiks, here in Sri Lanka, highlights the importance of craftsmanship using the ancient techniques of Batik dyeing. Buddhi Batiks was one of the first brands to retail with The Design Collective. Button masala is a simple joinery system designed for sustainable clothing. This technique uses only buttons and rubber bands, and is one of the fastest, cheapest, and is the most sustainable systems of garment making. We had the opportunity to invite Anuj Sharma who is the creative director of the brand Button Masala that is based in India, for our first anniversary event, to give a workshop to Sri Lankan designers, and the fashion community on the construction of garments using his incredible technique. To have Anuj Sharma collaborate with Darshi Keerthisena for our 5 year anniversary is truly a full circle moment. Through this introduction, the two brands have joined forces to create a collection that highlights both the art of Batik and sustainable garment making. This collection will be showcased during the anniversary event, along with a brand new, much awaited collection from Buddhi Batiks.