Arts
Getting into Avurudu spirit with mini redda hattes and sarongs
There was a time when parents struggled to find mini ‘redda hattes’ and sarongs and shirts for their children to wear for Avurudu. It was rare to find ready-made outfits and many had to turn to buying the material and getting tailored kits done for their kids. However, with the demand for traditional attire for Avurudu being popular especially as school celebrations normally require children to be dressed in their best local kits, ready-made outfits have made their appearance in popular retail spaces thanks to some innovative designers.
The Little White Rabbit
An exclusively children’s clothing brand, ‘The Little White Rabbit’ was created in March 2017 to enter the market just in time for the Avurudu season with their ‘traditional-wear’ collection. They were one of the first children’s clothing brands that was marketed exclusively online -they identified the gap in the market for a kids’ traditional wear collection online, says founder Umayangana Randeniya.
“We were the perfect solution for busy working mums who didn’t have time to go and physically look for traditional wear for their children,” shares Umayangana noting that they identified a niche of an online children’s brand as well as the need for traditional wear and catered to it.
As their line also does designer wear for children, their business remains sustainable although the Avurudu season is when they have a higher volume of sales coming in. Umayangana puts it down to the fact that the Little White Rabbit emphasises comfort and ease of wearing in all their clothes.
“All our traditional wear clothing including the boys’ sarongs have elasticized waists to make sure kids are able to stay comfortable and active. When it comes to designs, we try to be ahead of the game by always coming up with something innovative and fresh,” Umayangana says adding that they put a lot of effort into making something completely different to what’s available in the market while ensuring wherever possible that natural materials are used.
The kids love being able to dress up and show off their outfits to each other while parents, with the popularity of social media, love sharing pictures of these milestones in their children’s lives. Being able to know your clients are happy with what you have provided has been extremely encouraging and flattering, Umayangana says.
Kyre’s Closet: Comfort
Kyre’s Closet
“Kyre’s Closet came about three years ago when I wanted to buy a National suit for my three-year-old for a nursery school function and went to many places yet had no luck,” recalls founder Rasanjalee Abeywickrama explaining that assuming the difficulty she faced back then might be a common issue for other moms as well, she started Kyre’s Closet.
She began doing Avurudu clothing for kids as well and says the sense of elation she felt seeing children happily frolic in her designs for the past three years has been a feeling that can’t be replaced.
Simple and unique is the thinking behind their designs and at Kyre’s Closet, it is mostly handloom and cotton fabrics used as the children being ‘super comfortable’ is key.
“It is always the innovation which keeps brands moving but in this case it’s very important we do not tarnish our traditional look. This is especially because when it comes to kids we need to teach them, show them and make them feel the traditional Avurudu of Sri Lanka,” Rasanjalee says adding that by using different handloom materials they bring in a distinctive style to the designs.
Their mini customers are what Rasanjalee calls their biggest wealth and inspiration. It was because of them and loyal customers from the past three years that they have been able to provide outfits for many children. A passion project, the only profit they seek is “kids smile with our dresses”.Kyre’s Closet awaits the Avurudu season to see children enjoy the festivities in their designs.
AIANA: Fun
AIANA
Primarily a brand that focuses on the elegance of batik, AIANA seeing that there was a massive requirement for girls’redda and hatta as well as boys’ kits began designing a collection for children, says HasithaYapa of AIANA.
“The Avurudu collection for kids’ is not as movable as others as it’s seasonal but we can continue somewhat without disturbing the normal production flow. We do this line because it can add more colour to our product portfolio,” shares Hasitha.
Always wanting to do something outside the box, AIANA blends the traditional batik feel into modern appeal.
To check out the brands above, you can search for their names on both Instagram and Facebook to see their Avurudu collections and more.