Finding your own personal style
View(s):- From sharing her outfits on Instagram to becoming an influencer and entrepreneur, Tina Abeysekara talks of how her hobby became her career
By Shanali Fernando
Hydrologist turned stylist Tina Abeysekara went from her 9-5 desk job into a successful career as a full-time content creator and entrepreneur.
Born in Kurunegala and raised in Sydney, Tina currently lives in the USA. “Life is quite fast-paced here,” she says, talking about the move “but I am adjusting and excited about the new avenues that have opened up for me.”
Tina Abeysekara: Qualified stylist and content creator
So how did this major career shift take place, we ask. After studying and working as a hydrologist for the New South Wales Office of Water, similar to the Water Board of Sri Lanka, “the shopping centre next to my workplace was the exact getaway I needed from the male-dominated 9-5 desk job I had,” Tina says. “I was always complimented on the things I bought and after being introduced to Instagram in 2013 I started sharing the outfits I wore and from where I bought them so that my friends and followers could get them.”
“It didn’t mean I splurged and bought tons and tons of clothes,” she quickly adds, for she firmly believes that “you don’t have to spend and buy a lot if you know how to style a piece well.”
With @trashtotreasured gaining much traction, brands and shopping centres approached her for collaborations and workshops. “I remember standing in front of a large crowd that I did not expect during my first styling workshop at a shopping centre and realizing that my side hustle has the potential to turn into my full-time job.”
After completing courses in Fashion Styling, Advanced Fashion Styling, and Graduate Fashion Styling at the Australian Style Institute, in 2020 Tina took the plunge and dived into being a full-time stylist and content creator. During this time, apart from her 1-1 styling sessions, Tina was invited by Today’s Show to conduct styling workshops. She worked with Australia’s go-to online fashion and lifestyle retailer The ICONIC to bring out two collections collaborating with the brand Atmosphere in 2022 and 2023 – “from designing to choosing the fabrics to styling them and getting my husband to take the pictures.”
“It was a very surreal moment for me,” she says proudly.
After 8 years of 1 on 1 styling consultations, workshops, TV segments, and brand collaborations, Tina released an e-book, ‘An Actionable Guide to Hunting a Closet Full of Treasures’. “It’s a way of slowing down fast fashion; Pick Well, Style Often – as the title of the book says,” she adds.
Tina also has her own jewellery line – The Treasured Edit that started as an experiment to find water and tarnish-resistant jewellery. “My first collection called Serendipity sold out in two weeks and we have just kept on going since then,” she says.
Tina stands firm on the idea that when you are styled well to feel good in what you are wearing it can add that extra boost of confidence you need to take on the day. “If you are uncomfortable in your body or your style it can come through in your day.” A wardrobe should consist of 80% staples – pieces you would wear the majority of your time and 20% room for fun new trends to try now and then, she notes.
Trends, she stresses, are not for everyone! “It is when you hop on every single trend that you lose your style, You should have a solid personal style, and try a trend if you feel like it just to have fun.”
Building up a solid wardrobe according to Tina, “means you identify your lifestyle, your needs, and what you do the majority of the time. What are you wearing already? Build on that. Because a must-have white button-down shirt might be the worst nightmare for a new/toddler mom. A wardrobe should be fit for purpose.”
Though living overseas, she has a strong connection and love for Sri Lanka. “As a brown, Asian, and most importantly, Sri Lankan woman I am so proud to be able to carry a Sri Lankan name into the international platforms and I want to be able to inspire young girls to not give up. To show that an idea at the back of their head can turn their life around, a side hustle or a hobby if they strive for can turn out to be the highlight of their life.”
As a qualified stylist, entrepreneur and content creator Tina hopes to expand her focus to more corporate consultations and the mental aspects of dressing well by guiding women through body confidence, post-partum, and lifestyle changes.
“Styling is like cooking – you can be good at it or bad at it but you can always learn to be better at it,” she smiles.
Instagram: @tinaabeysekara
Website: www.tinaabeysekara.com
Jewellery: www.thetreasurededit.com
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