Quirky and colourful offerings at Whatever Studio By Duvindi Illankoon
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Pix by Mangala Weerasekara
At the ‘Whatever Studio’ you could find a bottle of olive oil next to an exquisitely worked batik shawl and not blink an eye. The studio’s quirky, colourful spirit is about capturing stuff, and while the space is tiny and rather cramped, it’s packed to the brim with gorgeous little knick knacks that make for the perfect gift- for family, friends or yourself!
Whatever Studio is just behind the BMICH on Malalasekara Mawatha (or Longden Place, depending on which direction you’re coming from). It is owned and run by Gayathri Hanwella, who also resides here and runs her advertising agency from the same premises. Gayathri opened the studio for her own indulgence. “I love looking at beautiful things,” she says. “This is me just indulging myself, really, with the shop.” She opened the outlet a few months ago and the response, while not in the masses-level yet, has been positive.
Whatever is home to a curious assortment of clothes, art, handicrafts and food, sourced locally by Gayathri. “What you find here you’re unlikely to find anywhere else,” she shares. There are bright, colourful pieces of art by local artists; ceramic mugs and dishes with colours chosen and commissioned by Gayathri herself; silver jewellery made by the ladies of Emerge Lanka (these aren’t marked up, so any contribution goes directly to the foundation); colourful little candles with painted faces from Two Ripe Mangoes-everything here is local and proud of it.
Of special note are the statement pieces by Ohé Island; shawls, cushion covers and tops in intricately worked batik and contrasting colours make for a great find. You’ll also find the Upeksha Hager collection here; her clothes are seamlessly tailored in linen, and make for a slightly high end indulgence. More shawls and saris by Rithihi and silver jewellery by Ridhi and individual jewellers complete the store. They also stock yummy little treats, like Sits Cupcakes, Nandi’s Milk Toffees, and brownies along with Koluu’s spice mixes.
‘Whatever Studio’ stocks random little knick knacks, such as gorgeous little metal coasters made by artisans whose families were craftspeople working in temples. “They’re out of work now,” Gayathri explains. “Even though the craft has been handed down for generations it’s not very commercial in its traditional context, so they’ve started using the same techniques to make little things that can be sold.” These mix happily with colourful bangles, soup bowls, cards and leather bags made especially for the studio. The prices for all these can range from Rs. 100 for the little cards, to Rs. 4000 for a beautiful ceramic set in cobalt blue and upwards for some of the bags and clothes.
Gayathri is confident that given time, her studio will pick up a steady footfall of customers. Her offerings aren’t exactly commercial, but they’re unconventional and sure to speak to the more quirky side in her customers. We might have got a little too used to things falling on our laps, she smiles. “More people should venture out of the comfort of buying zone-there are so many different things that you can buy which won’t look like everyone else’ so why not just go for it?”
If you’re a local artist or designer, walk in to Malalasekara Mawatha, Colombo 7 and speak to Gayathri about what they can do for your work.