Facebook businesses are escalating in popularity; and joining the rip-roaring online business strategy is ‘Butterfly Apparel’. Started up by Arundathi Fernando (25) and Yasok Nagarajah (25), this Facebook page is for working women. With a wardrobe of office attire working women can simply browse through the gallery of images and buy clothes—shopping at their finger tips.
Speaking about why they chose Facebook as a platform to reach their clients, Arundathi says, “presently Facebook is more popular and has more coverage in reaching our target customers. It is also freely available to both advertise and also for our customers to contact us”.
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| Arundathi Fernando and Yasok Nagarajah |
The project was the brain child of the Arundathi and Yasok, who decided it was time the working women of Sri Lanka were given a break. “Our target customer is a busy woman who enjoys the boutique fashions and wants a place where she can go to get services that meet her busy lifestyle”, elaborates Arundathi.
Hence, the inspiration to meet their demands emerges from the international fashion arena moulded to suit the Sri Lankan culture and weather” elaborates Arundathi. “Butterfly Apparel will carry Ready-to-Wear (RTW) designer and casual, contemporary apparel & accessories for women”.
Work attire to suit our tropical climate is a definite plus point but Butterfly Apparel has a few more interesting features. “When me and my partner, Yasok Nagarajah came down to Colombo we realized a gap in the apparel industry for fashionable and more importantly affordable clothing.
We decided to try our own brand which provides stylish women with top quality fashion options inspired by international fashion trends at a reasonable price in our own country”, shares Arundathi, adding “my partner too has a strong fashion retail experience of over seven years in Sydney. His contribution for Butterfly Apparel is stronger in the merchandising, finance and the marketing area”.
Arundathi brings her expertise from having worked for six years with top international clothing brands such as Myer, Target, David Jones and Esprit in Sydeny while she studied there for her Bachelor of Commerce. Having developed a passion for the apparel industry, Arundathi is applying her experiences, know-how and skills she has picked while handling Butterfly Apparel.
Adding to what makes her store stand out among the competition Arudathi says “we do not purchase any products from anywhere. All our products are designed and manufactured in Sri Lanka with an export quality finish. The fabrics used are imported & very comfortable for the Sri Lankan weather”.
Having designed clothes for those designer brands, Arudathi says “your designs go under their brand and while that’s good and I learnt from them, I think it’s time I started my own thing”. She goes on to say that the new brand aspires to be fashionable, customer oriented, innovative, refreshing, stylish, elegant and educational.
Butterfly Apparel has been in the pipeline for roughly four years. Having returned to Sri Lankan, Arundathi and Yasok have finally been able to make the store a reality. Right now they are providing leading local retail brands with clothes but hope to go out on their own soon. In fact very soon the Facebook page will be open to online purchasing- with pictures of the clothes and fabric, sizes and prices all available online.
So the next time you find yourself bored at office and feel like going on a shopping spree, looking up Butterfly Apparel might be just the escape you’re looking for. |
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