Raising issues of conservation through fashion the ‘Pokka’ way
Pokurumalie Fernando, a 22 year old has turned tables in the fashion industry by redefining it ‘fashion’ her way.
Founder of the online boutique ‘POKKA by Pokka’ her love for designing and sewing has found a home at the outlet.
Another unique aspect about her fashion label is that Pokurumalie works towards reducing polythene wastage .
“I always aim at minimizing the waste during my production process. I create fashion products out of used polythene such as tote bags, tops and accessories to minimize polythene wastage. I also use eco friendly packaging for my brand.”
Preferring to represent herself through the brand, she named the label after her nickname Pokka. Vibrant in colour, embodying unique designs, rare techniques, styles, quality materials and texture, each and every piece of clothing is brought to life with a great deal of passion,” says Pokurumalie.
A past student of Our Lady of Victories Convent and Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya, she was involved in many extra-curricular activities and was an active student in school. She is currently pursuing her higher studies at the University of Sri Jayawardenepura, majoring in Computer science, Applied Mathematics and Mathematics.
POKKA by Pokka came was launched on December 12, 2018, marking a turning point in her life. At first the designing, sewing and the packaging was done completely by Pokurumalie.
“Pokka by pokka is a brand which caters to the millennial women who are ready to try out what’s ‘NEW’ and we at POKKA By Pokka make sure we are trendsetters. I believe in being unique, so someone who wears POKKA will easily stand out from the crowd, like a unicorn in a field of horses,” added Pokurumalie. The brand is definitely a go to fashion destination for all the Boho and Gypsy souls.
POKKA by Pokka will be releasing a men’s collection soon. Pokurumalie’s childhood dream of her own start up she says was accomplished through her fashion label. Enthusiasm has not only opened doors for designing but also modeling as she proudly says that she models for her own brand as well. My beloved parents who are my biggest pillars of strength, my family and my fiancé being the very first fans of POKKA, stood by my side and that’s all I had when I started, she says.
The 22 year old was a finalist at the Global Student Entrepreneurship Awards 2020 and was selected as the winner of the first runner-up-Best young entrepreneur award in J’pura Employability Skills Award Ceremony which was organized by the Career Guidance unit of University of Sri Jayewardenepura. I was able to associate closely with personalities having a clear vision about their future and whose who were balancing their goals along with their degrees. The experience from the competition offered the opportunity to network with people in different fields, says Pokurumalie as she reflects on the past.
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