With a mere 2 weeks to go to the HSBC Colombo Fashion Week 2013, Daily Mirror takes a seat with Sri Lankan born, international fashion sensation Radhika Perera Hernandez as she prepares for her first showing on home soil.
As beautiful as she seems in pictures, Radhika radiates in person too – making you feel at ease and connecting immediately to talk about her love for Sri Lanka and Fashion. Arriving a few weeks early, Radhika has single handedly worked on the entire collection from scratch.
Radhika - the designer of the label ‘LOIS LONDON’ is a new mom and had to juggle her time between attending to her cute little son, Naeem and putting together an unforgettable collection for the forthcoming show. The Resort 2013 collection Radhika will present at the HSBC Colombo Fashion Week show was influenced by the rich colour and heritage of her birth country and is handmade with love and care.
Each piece she will present is carefully embellished by hand and tailored seamlessly to perfection by the designer herself. Radhika will present ‘Serendib’ a collection comprising 18 beautiful pieces inspired by Sri Lanka on Day One of the HSBC Colombo Fashion Week. Serendib - her Resort 2013 collection of modern kaftans will illustrates the story of Sri Lanka through her eyes.
How does it feel like to be back in Sri Lanka?
Reconnecting with Sri Lanka is always such an easy and amazing experience for me. Every time I’m back for a holiday, I am overwhelmed with the feeling that this is ‘home’ and even though I haven’t lived here since a very young age, the level of comfort and the love for the Island is so natural for me.
The level of comfort with its people, food and culture is such that I still feel that sense of belonging very much, despite the many years of being away. Which is why, taking part in Colombo Fashion Week is such a personal experience for me. More than anything, the sense of pride I have to take part in this huge event is amazing and that’s what is most important to me.
The changes you’ve seen in the Fashion industry in Sri Lanka over the years?
There are a lot of positive changes I’ve observed; it’s almost a complete turnaround in fact. Everything seems more modern now and I feel that a lot more people are in tune with fashion now. You can see that people take effort to put together stylish outfits and are more in trend.
There is also a huge change in advertising campaigns and also the retail space offers a wider selection of fashionable clothing which offers the people a choice. Since my last visit to Sri Lanka, four years ago the Colombo Cityscape has also changed and looks more beautiful and clean.
Your thoughts on local designers?
During this trip to Sri Lanka, I’ve been introduced to a few local designers and I have been very impressed by their work. I just met with the talented Yolanda Aluwihare and Darshi Keerthisena and love what they are doing with the local crafts. They are established designers with a wealth of experience and knowledge and they’ve been gracious enough to share advice with me about the local market and its’ potential.
What kind of woman wears Lois London?
I would say a woman who is confident and not afraid to stand out in a crowd. My creations are such that it is hard to walk into a room and go unnoticed. A woman who loves beautiful and feminine clothing, with a willingness to take some risks.
Some of the garments are pretty sexy and definitely requires an amount of confidence to pull it off. The beauty of the Kaftan is such that it hides flaws and can flatter any shape. There is no need to be a certain age or ethnicity; and is more about the wearers’ personality that will make the difference.
Your experience working with Beyonce and the ‘House of Dereon’.
It was simply an amazing experience and I took full advantage to learn as much and accumulate as much experience as I could like a sponge. Working alongside Beyonce was surreal to say the least but she was such a normal and laid back person to work with.
It was a complete breakthrough for me to be able to work with a Super Star and it was an exciting and amazing experience. Beyonce would get involved with the work as her time and schedule permitted whilst her mother Tina had the time to be more hands on. The love between Beyonce and her mom was clearly evident in their work.
The team at the House of Dereon was small and close, so I worked closely with the Marketing team and in addition to being involved in the design process, I would work on the advertising campaigns and photo shoots and this has given me the advantage of being able to not only design but also market and project my brand in a profitable manner.
The collection for Colombo Fashion Week
As mentioned earlier, the collection is dubbed Serendib in line with Sri Lanka’s rich history in the Gem Trade. The colour palette includes Emerald Green, Turquoise, Aqua, Citron and beautiful colours from the landscape of Sri Lanka.
I wanted to do a collection that was personal to me and reflected my love for my country and its worked out pretty well.. The embellishments are done tastefully in dull Gold, Dark Blue and Green shades mixed with some Swarovski crystals too. A Lois London Kaftan is not only a beach cover up but something glamorous to wear for a party or cocktail.
The Design Process
I work with a lot of fabric drapes and do not concentrate much on pattern making. I tend to drape the garments on a bust board and let the natural flow of the fabric take shape. I change the drape in many ways before finalizing on a certain silhouette for the style. I actually drape more than sketch and add in the stone work afterward the garment is complete.
Everything is done by hand by me unless I’m handling an order, in which case I have a seamstress whom I commission to do the tailoring. I have also custom made many gowns for brides and bridesmaids and it’s always such an amazing experience. I would usually take 5 days to complete a Kaftan and to do a Bridal gown it would take longer.
Juggling a baby and work
Unlike in Sri Lanka, where everyone has the luxury of extra help, I spend my time with my son Naeem all day and I play with him while he is awake and catch up on work whilst he takes his two naps during the day. He sleeps for about 3 hours each day and during this time; I manage to get as much work done as I can.
Closer to when I had to leave New York to come here, it was a crazy rush and there was less play time but we are certainly catching up for lost time in Sri Lanka. Over here, he is being spoilt by family and we are both enjoying the relaxed pace of Colombo. But having said that it’s a lot of juggling, with work and a baby.
Advice to young designers entering the fashion industry
You have to be disciplined and dedicated to your craft and be willing to work really hard! When you are trying to climb up the ladder in this industry, there isn’t so much time to be laid back, relax or party. You have to be very smart and ahead of your game. The way the world is now, you have the capability and resources of doing things by yourself.
I designed my own website and kept pushing for my clothes to be retailed in high end stores and Hotels. I kept emailing buyers and pushed for my garments to be out there. A website with really good images of your work is very important since it speaks volumes before you can even meet potential buyers – it serves as a representative of your brand. It’s also important not to be sloppy in your work and presentation – strive for perfection.
Image and presentation in this industry is crucial and something like a crushed garment or fly away threads can let you and your brand down. It’s pointless creating beautiful clothes unless you know how to push it to the market and project it in a positive way. Just by creating a professional and impressive website, The Four Seasons Hotel immediately responded to my email and wanted to see my work. So it’s important for young designers to keep brand and image in mind as well.
Finding a niche and not mimicking others
It’s very hard to find your niche and be original. Being in the fashion trade you do often look at what other international designers are creating and often many young designers tend to be influenced by more established designers or labels. It’s hard to not get inspired by them at the very least but you have to try to be creative hands on.
Just by experimenting and trying different things, there are ways to take inspiration from a high end designer and then tweak it and make it your own. Copying someone else may seem the easiest thing to do but lacks originality and will not take you far.
Striking a balance between being creative and running a profitable label
I think that is one of my greatest challenges. Even when I used to work with Beyonce, I used to always gravitate towards the most expensive embellishments or fabrics. But I think you need to be really smart about it and right now I’m exploring other production possibilities to cut down my costs. Finding ways around bringing down the price points yet maintaining the quality of the garments is a key focus, especially if I am to retail locally.
International Fashion Designers you admire?
I love Ellie Saab – I love Naeem Khan. I love the fact that they have that slight ethnic touch to their garments. I also love Mathew Williamson for his exotic prints, intricate beading and amazing resort wear.
Radhika Perera Hernandez will present on the first night of HSBC Colombo Fashion Week 2013.
By Miro Dole
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