Rock it with FROK !

by Rochelle Palipane Gunaratne

FROK, the brainchild of the innovative fashionista and trend setter, Natalie Jayasuriya blazed into the online shopping platform with a desire to provide locally designed haute couture for the young and trendy fashion conscious youth. Its marketing has been designed to target a young demographic of 16 upwards, however the products available on the site are for the Perpetually Youthful, whether it be Female or Male, those who are fiercely spirited and live in a realty where filters are key. As online purchasing dynamics have reportedly proven, an influential image or persona fuels and secures consumer decisions.

The platform offers a mix of FROKE Signature designs and select collections from local designers who will showcase their interpretation of the authentic FROK Feel.

“Guilty as charged,’ admitted the enthusiastic entrepreneur who admitted to shopping overseas for her ultra- chic clothing, adding that she has perennially faced a brick wall when hunting for that, “little black dress,” or clothes that accentuate and enhance the unique individuality of a person. Thus the lockdown paved the way for some research among the retro teens and young adults who expressed their views, adding that online shopping has grown stealthily due to a dearth in clothing stores that cater to their taste. Thus the wheels were set in motion and together with Mario Gooneratne, Natalie established FROK, a Contemporary Fashion Forward Online platform with a pragmatic and conscious brand ethos.

Forming bonds through FROK

The backbone of FROK is a scalable e-commerce platform that captures vast amounts of data points from the shoppers so that we can use machine learning to bring out hyper-personalized experiences to our valued clients” says Natalie Jayasuriya “expect to make use of valuable data that we capture so that we can offer a great shopping experience.” We possess the ideal recipe for morphing fast fashion into high fashion, without altering the price point.

FROK is completely customer centric. “The customer will actually be able to reach out and speak to a member of the FROK Family, who will assist them as we believe it is essential to retain close bonds with our customers. The HUMAN Element is our strongest USP”.

Trendy fashions at your fingertips

All the user journeys of the FROK platform are mobile optimized. “We’re catering to the mobile savvy customers who demand best in class experiences while on the go. Each page is designed carefully by taking new age design concepts that are optimized for all form factors of mobile phones. A mobile app which is native to Apple and Android will be launched within this year”.

Founders of FROK

Mario Gooneratne, Director of FROK is also the founder and CEO of LinearSix (PVT) Ltd, a boutique technology and consulting company with a strong focus in helping banks, finance and insurance companies be better by implementing cutting edge software solutions to digitally transform them.

The independent business woman, Natalie has earned due respect and awe for her successful repertoire in PR and Marketing. She has always had an interest in entertainment and F&B ventures which lead her to be at the forefront of the conceptualization and development of immensely popular nightclubs, bars and restaurants in Sri Lanka over the last decade. The wonder woman, has carved her own path from get go, thanks to the strong work ethics and values wish were inculcated by her parents since her formative years. Since childhood she found herself being immersed in an effervescent culture in which growth was closely associated with the freedom to explore new possibilities. This creative streak coupled with an intense passion to bring Sri Lankan creations which appeal to the specified age group into the mainstream, making it easily accessible resulted in the founding of FROK!

IN A FROKSHELL:

• To be the Sri Lankan hybrid of ASOS or SHEIN for Sri Lanka

• Support and market home grown vendors and adapt to Global trends to fit within OUR cultural context

• Help young Fashion Designers do what they love, and design and we will take care of the rest.

• To Provide Trendy, fast fashion products on an efficient and easy to use platform, essentially, making aspirational wear affordable and attainable, locally, regionally and eventually globally.

• Aim to keep revenue within our aisle instead of channelling it overseas

• To start by regulating sizing for Sri Lankan products

• FROK will be positioned as a forerunner for fashion forecasting, utilizing a relatable online platform.

Pix by Dharmasena Welipitiya