Arts
Head to Tropic of Linen today for local seasonal finds
View(s):Tropic Of Linen, Sri Lanka’s luxury island-wear boutique is hosting its first ever festive ‘Pop-up Paradise’ market today – Sunday, December 2, at their flagship store in Colombo 7.
Booteek
Pop-Up Paradise will present an artfully curated range of local merchants recognised for both social consciousness as well as excellence in wares.
Owner of Tropic Of Linen, Minha Akram, is excited to be hosting a platform that will allow budding entrepreneurs to showcase their festive offerings. “As a home-grown, Sri Lankan brand ourselves, we are equally passionate about supporting others in this collective mission for a greater good. We hope that the appeal of shopping local for interesting seasonal finds will attract customers to ‘Pop-Up Paradise’. In the long term, we would really like to see that more shoppers are supporting local, small businesses.”
Tropic of Linen
Here’s a brief preview of the six entrepreneurs who’ll be there today:
Musaco –Musaco’s signature 100% banana fibre products, are handmade by women and men with disabilities from Kegalle. Their exquisite range includes household products from coasters to room dividers, accessories such as pouches and bottle carriers, and many more. The natural banana fibres used in the creation of Musaco’s products are extracted in an eco-friendly, chemical-free process, from tree trunks usually discarded after fruit pickings – a process that not just uplifts a marginalised community but revives the environment as well.
Booteek –Booteek’s stunning handmade products -bags, quilts, home accessories, kids’ finger puppets and more- are produced by a collective of special needs children, mothers, and other women from Sri Lanka’s low-income bracket who hope to create a sustainable livelihood for themselves. Booteek has more recently also produced a range of up-cycled wrapping paper and reuseable paper totes, made by a team of young adults with special needs.
Bake A Wish –Home baker Suulali Gunatissa uses curd as a base for the majority of her cakes’ frostings and also incorporates local fruit such as narang and starfruit in her menu of decadent cakes and desserts. Bake A Wish will also be debuting a new assortment of delectables made especially for the season.
Re Live - Home-grown, handmade bath and body products from body melts to massage bars, lip balms and scrubs, to hair and body butters, Re Live products are all 100% vegan, cruelty free, and sourced in the most pure form possible.
Boxes by Ethnicity – Boxes of Ethnicity has compiled several boxes to suit every whim, featuring a mix of five to eight locally sourced products– a mix of food, drink, personal and beauty care, and even household products, each designed to a unique theme. The ‘Tea Lover’s Box’ for instance, contains home-grown tea, bees’ honey, love cake/date cake, a mug, and coasters. The ‘Batta Box’ keeps the little ones happy with its contents of playdoh, hand puppets, soap, cookies, bookmarks, and even a book on Sri Lankan history.
Musaco
The Silk Body –The Silk Body’s range of body scrubs and exfoliating products are all 100% organic, made with natural and organically grown Sri Lankan ingredients- designed to maximize on the benefits of aromatherapy with a perfect blend of essential oils to heal the skin and create overall well-being.
Sirka – Jewellery is always a hot favourite during the season, but unique, yet versatile pieces are often hard to come by. Check out Sirka’s stunning collection of ethnic jewellery and accessories.
‘Pop-Up Paradise’ is on today, Sunday, December 2 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Tropic of Linen’s flagship store at No.1, Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo 7.
Bake A Wish