Young designer’s recipe for a good night’s sleep
View(s):Trying out her designs on her young children, Sharmila Srikumar’s trendy, comfy nightwear aims also at bonding between mothers and daughters
By Tarini Pilapitiya
Designs for mums and kids. Pix by Ruvin De Silva
A warm mug of milk, a heartwarming story and Mackly Pajamas – it’s her perfect recipe for a snug night’s rest. Launching a brand new collection of ladies’ nightwear today (Sunday, June 18) “Mackly” is Sharmila Srikumar’s brainchild of comfortable and trendy sleepwear.
Having introduced Mackly kids’ pajamas around two years ago, Sharmila who hails from South India has spent years studying the fashion industry. “I was always attracted to anything with an eye-catching design,” she says.
However, her instinct to launch sleepwear for children sprang from a greater natural instinct – motherhood. “As a mother I was always on the lookout for what I needed for my daughters,” (she has three twin girls, aged 6 and her eldest 9 years) and much like any parent, loves dressing them up.
Faced with the reality that Sri Lanka did not have durable, cute night wear, she had her ‘Eureka!’ moment.
A perfectionist at heart Sharmila trials her designs on her daughters who inform her on levels of discomfort, flexibility whilst also allowing her to check the more technical aspects such as shrinkage, colour fastness etc.
She is also paying heed to another problem prevalent in the local retail industry – clothing sizes. “Our Asian kids are of different sizes – most do not match with the UK and US sizes,” she says.Thus her brand takes into consideration the body types of the local market.
Her idea is that sleepwear although not seen in public helps enhance the feel-good factor for oneself. The trendy sleepwear helps boost your confidence and is worn purely “for yourself,” Sharmila adds. Her range is made with 100% cotton material, the knitted cotton making it comfortable for the tropics, and as Sharmila laughs, “They (kids) can do all kinds of acrobatics in it”.
Over the years she has had a hands-on experience with the whole fashion design-production process. Speaking of the transparency of her production supply chain Sharmila states “In creating a brand there is equal hard work in the front and back processes. If you want quality work you must be involved with the manufacturing as well.”
Focus on quality and comfort: Sharmila Srikumar. Pic by Sameera Weerasekera
The factory in Avissawella, in which the clothes are produced, is owned by Sharmila’s family as well, and it has become a hub for both her production team and designers – the ultimate place “where all the magic happens” she says, adding that the factory and her workstation are a “lab of sorts” where she gets to experiment.
Every three months, Sharmila and her team launch a new collection of sleepwear for boys and girls. “It’s the same quality you get internationally but at an affordable price,” — around Rs. 950 to Rs. 1500 for all items which are available at local retail outlets like Cotton Collection and ODEL.
The designs are trendy, bright, tastefully adorned with prints and designs and the occasional mini bow. Sharmila’s own girls spend many minutes deciding what to wear and “they now look forward to bedtime!” she chuckles.
One of her major inspirations when launching this collection was the undermining of the need for sleep – a prevalent problem among many of the modern generation. “People are compromising on sleep and as a result on their health,” Sharmila comments. “The kind of fabric you wear to bed is important. When I started the nightwear collection it was based on need.”
The general idea that women’s nightwear is sensuous or provocative is not what Sharmila espouses. Her line will instead focus on young girls and mothers who want to wear comfortable, durable, chic and cute fashion styles to bed – some of her designs at the launch will take the theme of mother – daughter matching sets!
“My girls are so excited that we will all be able to wear the same design of sleepwear,” she fondly adds. “Any little girl wants to grow up soon to be like her mum” and Mackly’s designs will only help support that bond.