Creativity without wastage with ‘C Shapes’
Creations by C Shapes
If you’re the type of person looking to make a fashion statement with the jewellery you wear, then perhaps C Shapes is no stranger to you. But if you’ve never heard of them, then now’s your chance to get up to speed about the company that is out to make a name for themselves in a unique way.
“C Shapes is a small scale company whose primary goal is to produce unique, contemporary hand-made jewellery from waste materials,” says Chaminda Kingsly Lorence, Founder of C Shapes. This is seen in the values of the company itself. If you take the name C-Shapes, you see: C- Creative, S – Sustainable, H – Handmade, A – Attractive, P- Pioneering, E- Extraordinary, S- Simple.
With these values in mind, C-Shapes has a bold vision and mission. “We want to be the pioneers in transforming one person’s rejects into another person’s treasure.” Simultaneously, the company is also piloting towards transforming waste materials into exclusive, contemporary jewelleries. This is carried out via continuous research and development.”
The birth and concept of C-Shapes was one of innovation and the desire to create without wastage. “ Every year a staggering amount of waste is dumped into landfills without any regard for its potential to be reused or recycled,” explains Chaminda. As such a vast amount of usable resources are left to decompose in landfills. Because of this, concepts such as “Zero Waste” and “Urban Mining” have sprung up to the rescue as a solution for waste management and resource depletion.
With a philosophy such as Zero Waste, designers are encouraged to design their products in such a way that there is no residual material left. Think of it as the circle of life, where resources are reused in nature.
With Urban Mining, the process of reclaiming compounds and elements from products, buildings and waste which would otherwise be left to decompose in landfills is taken care of. Having been exposed to these concepts as a student in contemporary jewellery designing in PXL Hasselt, Belgium, Chaminda was motivated to introduce these very same concepts to the local fashion industry as well.
Rather than using precious metals that may cause resource depletion and environmental pollution, Chaminda wanted to make a difference. His solution? Use waste materials as jewellery. After a lengthy brainstorming session, Chaminda came up with the idea to manufacture jewellery by using waste materials. Following the completion of his studies and his return to Sri Lanka, Chaminda officially registered C-Shapes as a company in 2016.
What sets C-Sharp apart from other jewellery manufacturers is that their products are catered exclusively for those who admire a cleaner environment. “That’s how our theme became ‘be green and clearly be seen”, adds Chaminda.
C-Shapes provides a large variety of individual, contemporary, conceptual and unique pieces of “ green jewellery” made mainly of paper, scrap copper, and waste pencils. They up-cycle waste materials and utilize a combination of traditional and novel design and fabricating technologies to create their lineup of Jewellery. In addition, C-Shapes is also the only company in Sri Lanka that carries out paper compression.
Since its inception in 2016, C-Shapes has taken part in the FACETS International Gem and Jewelry exhibition held in Sri Lanka. It was there that Chaminda was convinced that there is indeed a sufficient demand for their products among both the foreign and local community.
Networking is a key component of C-Shapes. “For e-Business, we realized that direct communication with the customers is the most effective mode of selling”. As such, Chaminda took the initiative in setting up relevant Facebook and Instagram pages. “It provides us ample time to convey the concept of our products to a diverse group of customers”. Further, customers can have a close look of the products, and can even go to the extent of customizing their own jewellery as well.
The Colombo Good Market is one such place where C-Shapes shows off their handiwork. The Good Market provides ample opportunity for C-Shapes to attract those who admire environmentally friendly green concepts. “We receive really encouraging comments and materials from the customers” says Chaminda proudly. “We really enjoy explaining the story behind the products of CShapes”, he also added.
From 2016 till now, Chaminda says he is quite satisfied with the way that C-Shapes has grown and evolved. But the journey isn’t over yet. “We are definitely going big in future, says Chaminda enthusiastically.
“We will focus more on producing large objects by using discarded materials”. To make their products more popular around the world, Chaminda shares that his next step is to initiate joint ventures with local and foreign parties. In addition, Chaminda is also on the look out for a permanent location in Colombo or Kandy to establish what he proudly calls the “first green jewellery gallery” in Sri Lanka.
In wrapping up, Chaminda shares that the best thing about life with C-Shapes is the positive and encouraging comments that he receives from customers. He holds a special place in his heart for children who come to admire the jewellery at C-Shapes. “C-Shapes is our pride” says a beaming Chaminda.
For more information about C-Shapes, be sure to check out their Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/CShapes/) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/cshapessl).
