The Style Files - KUR: Feminine And Delicate, Yet Intriguingly Contemporary! 

KUR is a contemporary clothing label formed in November 2009 by Kasuni Rathnasuriya who is its founder and the design director. The KUR label incorporates Sri Lanka’s traditional handmade lace into its signature clothing line fusing the old and new beautifully. The traditional and time-honoured methods used to create KUR clothing are a far cry from fashion’s heavily automated present. 

Known by many names, Beeralu Lace, Portuguese and Dutch handmade lace, or bobbin lace, it was introduced to Sri Lanka in the 15th and 16th centuries, when it became rooted in Sri Lankan tradition in the form of a fringed blouse, known as the kaba kuruthawa, worn as part of traditional female attire in the south. This initiative to revitalize a dying craft in Sri Lanka, empowers the less-privileged Beeralu weavers from the southern coastal region of Sri Lanka. 

Every KUR creation is a labour of love, honouring local tradition, heritage, craftsmanship and are ethically conscious. The clothing is very serene, about the beauty of materials which are close to nature, things which are not fussy, with the pragmatic understanding of clothes that can perform in the midst of urban heat .The KUR collection is very airy, very light, very easy - and quite minimal. It incorporates feminine and delicate, yet intriguingly contemporary and urban themes at the same time. As a fan of the label, my favourites are her “goddess gowns”. She is a master of creating dresses that could be worn during the day with flats, but are still  sufficiently special for evening. The elegant, minimal colour palette is limited to stark black and white, with occasional injections of gray and blue tonalities. Many pieces are made entirely of hand made lace, while others feature asymmetric lace insertions at unexpected angles in unexpected placement. 

Kasuni has an impressive design pedigree and has won the British Council’s Young Fashion Entrepreneur (YFE) 2011. In February 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 she was invited to showcase her collection at the HSBC Colombo Fashion Week alongside international designers. She was the first Sri Lankan to take part in London Alchemy Design festival 2011. The Sunshine Coast Fashion Festival in Australia invited her to showcase in 2015 and in February this year she showcased at the prestigious New York Fashion Week, one of the biggest global fashion weeks. 

The KUR collection is available at PR on Horton Place. PR is a concept store that carries beautifully curated designer collections. 

Text by Minoli Ratnayake