Cotton Collection: Setting trends for 25 years
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Cotton Collection celebrated 25 years on June 1, with a news conference at the company’s flagship store on Dharmapala Mawatha. Managing Director Niloufer Esufally Anverally briefly charted her journey from a fashion buyer to heading one of Sri Lanka’s largest fashion retailers, thanking her team and peers for their support.
Cotton Collection was established in 1991 by Niloufer; a time when there was “no internet, iPhones or social media,” she quipped. Niloufer had just returned to Colombo with an Economics degree and what she describes as “itchy feet.” “I wanted to do something of my own,” she says. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs and in an era where quality clothing was hard to come by, Niloufer ventured into a few garment factories, walking out with a few quality pieces of clothing that she sold to her friends.
Her buyers grew in number and she decided to take the next step. “With a little bit of capital in my hand, a lot of enthusiasm, a car and driver being my only assets-but with a boot full of supplies-I started selling clothes all over Sri Lanka.” The business grew until she opened her first store at Majestic City and launched Leather Collection at Liberty Plaza; the brand slowly but steadily growing bigger with stores at Flower Road, Pelawatte, Dharmapala Mawatha and now Kandy.
In 2011, Cotton Collection opened its flagship store on Dharmapala Mawatha. It was a response to what the customers had long been asking for, says Niloufer- space, ambience, a better selection, car park and dining options. They also launched in-house brand Coco; an affordable line of clothing that was also in touch with the latest trends. Another in-house accessory brand, Raspberry, is also available at Cotton Collection stores.
Niloufer thanked her team for their work and commitment over the years, adding that “I started a hobby and that hobby became my career. I dabbled in fashion retail-something that excited me then and continues to thrill me even to this date.”
