Sri Lankan clothing designs going international

By Dilshani Samaraweera

Leading European and US clothing brands are buying clothes made in Sri Lanka and also designed by Sri Lankan designers. Local design teams at Brandix Lanka are churning out international standard designs in lingerie, loungewear and pants that are bringing in design orders by big brand names like Victoria's Secret Stores, Pink and Express.

The country’s biggest apparel exporter is slowly moving out of the traditional cut-and-sew model where buyers provide the designs. Instead, Brandix designers are visiting international fashion shows, picking up fashion trends and putting out their own designs. “We visit fashion shows and get an idea of the trends for each new season.

Then we design our own collections and present them to our customers in Europe and the US,” said the head of marketing at Brandix, Solani de Silva. The company has around 15 full time designers working for it and customers have already started placing orders.

The US$ 320 million company refused to comment on the value of the designer generated business but said it is “steadily becoming an important part of the overall business.” The company’s 2007 annual report said that “The Victoria's Secret Stores and Catalogue have picked several in-house designs and some of them have become ‘best sellers’.”

However, Brandix still does not sell under its own brand name and the majority of its business still comes through the traditional order placement where the client provides the designs.