Arts
Go black and white with KiO
“When people think of black and white, I want them to remember KiO,” says young entrepreneur Nirasha Senanayake.
Aged just 20, Nirasha has already launched her own label of clothing. Lovingly named KiO after her mother’s nickname, the brand markets exclusively black and white clothing for women aged between 18-35. This online shopping store currently focuses on dresses and office attire.
A past student of Ladies’ College, Nirasha feels her decision to choose black and white as her theme was fairly simple. “When we were schooling, everyone wore a lot of black and white. Therefore, when I was trying to come up with an idea for my line of clothing, I thought why not black and white?” she says.”
So how does her online shopping store work? Nirasha decides what kind of clothes she wants designed and has her three designers bring in their ideas for a new line. She makes her pick and these are then given over to be stitched – a seamstress for dresses and a factory in Gampaha for office wear. Only a limited number of pieces per design are made. The finished garments are marketed on her Facebook page and delivered right to the customer’s doorstep once the order is made. Prices range from Rs. 800 to 2,500.
Anyone who has ever tried to buy clothes online can attest to the fact that it’s not always easy to get the correct fit. Nirasha has specific size charts for the different types of clothes offered – so that anyone who buys her clothes has an easier task of choosing the correct fit. If a customer isn’t sure which size will fit them, she is even willing to send an extra size bigger or smaller to solve the problem.
Customers in Colombo will get their purchases within a day while it will only take two days for purchases to be delivered to anywhere else in the island – including Jaffna. Nirasha follows a cash on delivery policy which makes things even easier for her customers.
Future plans? Despite the success of her brand, Nirasha plans to continue with her studies -education is her main priority. ‘I’m studying CIMA at the moment and I will be going to university as well before I start thinking of doing this full time,’ she says. Future plans include adding handbags, shoes and accessories to her collection as well as expanding her reach outside the shores of Sri Lanka.
The clothes are available online at www.fb.com/kioscollection. Nirosha can also be reached on 0766674540.
