Life style
Label ” Innovation”understands style and elegance
Ruweni from the label “Innovation ” is always passionate about fabrics, from denim to silks, cottons and rayon. “My mother and me have always been a lover of textiles from a very young age. What sets the designer apart are thier ongoing experiments with fabric manipulation that have led to some distinctive surface textures.
Ruweni pictures the label ‘Innovation ’ as someone who understands style and likes to add a twist that makes each ensemble uniquely her own. As someone who has already been designing for several years does she ever feel like she’ll run out of steam? What keeps you going, she says, It is my
“great talent, it always motivates me to push my limits and break out of my comfort zone”
Ruwani Perera the founder of the popular ‘Innovation’ label has been a textile person, the proud owner of Malas, a renowned government factory located in Panadura. This detailed background ensured success in the fashion industry.
Fashion is growing really fast and the pace of the industry demands that entrepreneurs think about scaling in this crowded market. I was fortunate enough to get the right set of the mentors at a very early stage of my career. They guided me on tech, growth and strategy. Seek a great mentor to take you down the right path. As an entrepreneur, it is also very important to manage your time. Fashion can get very competitive. Today social media has become the fashion channel for all millennials, so having influencers produce content that you can backlink to your pages and website always helps. Ensure that you build models to retain users and create seamless user experiences as well as an aftersales plan. If you haven’t started yet, this is the best time to start, as the best of the resources are available today. If you want to catch a fish, you have to stand in the stream.
Innovation Revamped– The Story
She then went onto study fashion at LIFT to enhance her credentials and widen her repertoire. Later, she set up a small firm called Innovation in Yatiyantota (Kegalle) with a few limited staff members to start producing samples and fulfilling wholesale orders for reputed clothing brands around the country. Immediately, she understood the demand it was gaining through the continually increasing orders. This led to a move to Pepiliyana where she set up a home visit clothing shop to start selling B2C.
She wanted to be closer to the customers and hoped to gain more inputs on consumer demand. Gradually, the small shop started gaining attention through word of mouth. Then in 2014, the family relocated to Kirulapona and the grand opening of the newly built store was declared open on the 18th of March 2016, named Innovation Revamped to signify the new and improved clothing brand. The brand offers a whole host of services to its customers. For example, if a customer happens to not be able to find the right fit, the brand offers alterations to provide the best fit. This could be a simple case of needing the shoulders to be widened, the sleeve to be-extended/shortened or a dress length needing an extension etc.
Ruwani also undertakes customized orders/tailoring for ladies. This may be a requirement for a specific material or perhaps a different colour that is not available at the store or a specific design they may desire. Furthermore, production is in-house, and the factory is located nearby the store with outsourced batik centres and embroidery under the purview of the owner and designer, Ruwani Perera. To this day, she is at the forefront of the production, development, and expansion of the brand, Innovation Revamped. She is also supported by her two sons that share the workload with her in different facets of the company alongside her husband that continues to support her through the entrepreneurial journey that aims to provide high quality and unique clothing to its customers.
In addition, the factory has limited staff but ensures the materials and production is at its highest quality to match the prices customers pay and it must be noted that Innovation products have limited stock to ensure exclusivity to the customer.
Institute of Hospitality Sri Lanka
The 32nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the UK-based Institute of Hospitality’s Sri Lanka Chapter was held recently at the Ramada Hotel Colombo,.The event provided an evening of camaraderie , reflection of the past and present achievements,setting new benchmarks for the future
The AGM had the presence of two distinguished guests, the Chief Guest Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, and the Guest of Honour British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Andrew Patrick. Their inspiring speeches were lauded by all hoteliers who were present at the occasion
A special thanks was extended to Robert Richardson, CEO of the Institute of Hospitality UK, along with his team, sponsors, committee members, and all attendees for making the event memorable.
Dr. Harsha Jayasingh, Past President of the Institute of Hospitality (UK) Sri Lanka Chapter, emphasised the Institute’s longstanding history and the strength of its Sri Lankan branch. “The Institute of Hospitality (IH) UK has a history of 86 years, and we are proud to be the Sri Lanka Branch. IH Sri Lanka is much stronger now with many members from all areas of the hospitality industry,” he stated.
Dr. Jayasingh highlighted the significant role of tourism in Sri Lanka’s economy,. He said tourism it is the third-largest source of revenue for the country. “Tourism accounts for about 13.3% of total foreign exchange earnings and employs 450,000 people directly and indirectly. The hospitality industry in this island of pearl holds tremendous potential for economic growth, job creations, and cultural exchange,” he added.
He also pointed out more women should be attracted to the industry and advocated for the use of technology in hospitality sector to attract the younger generation.
The newly appointed Chairman Ramesh Dassanayake spoke about the challenges faced by the industry, including the reluctance of youth to join the sector. . Dassanayake expressed concerns over the migration of staff between hotels and the overall ‘brain drain’ in the sector. ” We must maintain high standards in the hotel We must try to attract tourists to Sri Lanka, we must have with many facilities Hence, hotel schools and other professional institutions involved in skills development mustincrease their intakes,” he pointed out.
Chief Guest Sajith Premadasa emphasised the importance of eco tourism and said “We need to have an environmental policy related to tourism in place,” . .
The 32nd AGM of the Institute of Hospitality UK, Sri Lanka Chapter, was a testament to the strength and potential of Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry. The insights and commitments shared during the event set a new benchmark for the future.(ZC)
Pix by Thushara Attapathu
Life style
He recognizes human identity beyond boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion.
Visit of Sri Gurudev to Sri Lanka
Humanitarian, spiritual leader and Global Ambassador of Peace Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Sri Gurudev) was in Sri Lanka on a three day tour on the invitation of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Dinesh Gunewardene. Gurudev who inspired a wave of volunteerism and service to moot one of the largest volunteer-based organisations in the world – The Art of Living – visited the various projects under the aegis of the foundation and launched twelve vocational and technical centers around the island. He was accompanied by thousands of followers from Sri Lanka and around the world.
Gurudev who visited Sri Lanka for the sixth time also had a first day cover launched in honour of his visit. He is a strong proponent of spreading happiness, using the unique Sudarshan Kriya, yoga, meditation and practical wisdom to unite people, empower individuals and transform communities. His programmes provide techniques and tools to live a deeper, more joyous life, while his non-profit organisations recognize the human identity beyond the boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion.
The Art of Living which has more than 30,000 teachers and over one million volunteers across 180 countries has touched in excess of five hundred million people around the world. CNN called it “Life Changing” and The Washington Post headlined it, “Fresh air to millions”.
In Trincomalee, Gurudev met with war victims and had a heartwarming engagement with the children from the children’s homes run by the Foundation. He also visited the Koneswara Temple in Trincomalee and graced the Kumbhabhishekam at Seetha ecogPnize the human identity beyond the boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion. Amman temple at Nuwara Eliya. He held discussions with the trustees on the progress of the foundation’s social service projects, while also holding a special event – Ekamuthuwa – attended by a large number of dignitaries and his devotees from around the world.
His time with the Prime Minister was spent discussing the prospects of unity in diversity and uniting Sri Lanka by adding happiness into the formula of living. In addition he had discussions with the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, prominent business stewards and civil society leaders.
by Zanita Careem
Envison your dream wedding day come to life at the Epitome Hotel, a prestigious city hotel in Kurunegala offering an unrivalled luxury rendors experience for weddings.
The venue is designed to embody opulence and luxury from all quarters for a spectacular wedding in kurunegala,Thier ballroom is the largest banquet facility in Sri Lanka It can be divided into six luxurious pillarless wedding halls on the ground floor and 25pax smaller banquet halls.
It can be easily named as a five star heaven in the heart of the city contributing to a myriad of immense experiences tailored to inspire and delight wedding experiences.
From opulent décor set up to exquisite table decor, lavish food, every detail is meticulously curated to spark your imagination and ignite creativity for a perfect wedding. The previous prestigious wedding shows season one and season two attracted large crowds
were unique events which gave the wedding vendors and potential clients had an opportunity to connect and interact with each other. Beyond being a showcase it was a chance for the wedding vendors to unite and contribute to the vibrancy of the wedding industry. The wedding show covered all area of the bridal industry providing a comprehensive variety of bridal supplies from Sri lanka and became the most popular bridal exhibitions in Kurunegala.This bridal exhibitions allowed brides and grooms to experience first hand the products and services available from suppliers in Sri Lanka
These wedding shows held at The Epitome created a benchmark and gave an opportunity for vendors to create connections to the utmost satisfaction said Harshan Lakshita Executive Director. of the magnificent Hotel
Our wedding shows featured experts and professionals in every field‘ It covered all areas of the bridal industry provided a comprehensive variety of bridal supplies from Sri lanka and became most popular bridal exhibition in this region.We are always open to everyone to join us at our wedding shows in the future. It is an opportunity to discover the incredible talent within our local wedding and bridal vendors to make meaningful relationships and plan thier special day at our breathtaking hotel The Epitome said General Manager Kavinda Caldera
The Epitome Hotel’s bridal show which will be held end of June will buzz with great ideas,advice and inspiration for all those who plan thier dream wedding
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The Hotel Epitome’s Wedding Season 3 will marked excellence, celebration and inspiration for those in the wedding industry. The exhibition halls will resonate with ideas on exquisite bridal wear to decor, florists , photography etc and showshowcase the rich tapestry of talent within the local wedding industry. .
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