Life Online Presents : Meet The Designers - Charini 

Swim Week Colombo is set to take place from the 24 – 26 of June at the Colombo Port and is a host to a number of designers, both local and international. Having collaborated with reputed swimwear manufacturer, Linea Aqua, Swim Week Colombo will present 14 Sri Lankan and international designers on the runway. 

Partnering up with Swim Week Colombo, Life Online puts the spotlight on designer brands Charini. 

Having launched her brand in 2009 at Colombo Fashion Week, Charini Suriyage has become an international fashion brand. As the co-founder of retail store, Zudhora, Charini aims to present a swimwear collection that celebrates feminine power through body con prints and bold colours. 

Your collection focuses on body-con prints and bold colours; what inspired this outlook? 

The body in itself is a great source of inspiration. It's amazing how we could transform the figure by studying body proportions and curves. I wanted a challenge for myself and wanted to experiment contouring through prints and play with different fabrics and pop colours. 

Swimwear has always been portrayed as clothing for a particular type of body but your collection offers a variety of choices for different body shapes. Why was this important to you? 

As a brand I'm always passionate in offering designs which will cater to a wider audience it being swim wear or not. For me, personally, fashion is not only for women who are slim. It's about celebrating your feminine curves and appreciating the diversity of body shapes. Wearing swimwear can make people very self-conscious as it’s probably the most figure hugging type of clothing we wear outside. Therefore, it's important to make the wearer extra confident about the fit and the appearance that's created through design. 

Having been in the fashion industry since 2009 with the launch of your brand, how has the experience helped you in designing swimwear? 

Although I have launched my brand few years ago I have been in the lingerie industry for the past 12 years with MAS Intimates. Therefore it's easier for me to draw parallels between lingerie and swim wear as technically they are a lot similar. I should mention that Linea Aqua has given us all the support to get our designs fruition as manufacturing swimwear could only be done by experts. 

What are the 3 most important things you try to incorporate in your swimwear line? 

Contouring, glam sports look and timeless silhouettes. 

Do you plan on using any local arts or crafts in your collection? 

I’m definitely planning to do so in the future as I could see so many possibilities. But at the moment I'm focused on mastering the product and understanding my clientele as it’s a new addition to CHARINI. 

By Panchali Illankoon