A chat with Seshadri Nithyananthan
Seshadri Nithyananthan is a 25 year old fashion designer from Colombo. She schooled at HFC Bambalapitiya and then did her degree in fashion at AOD. She has one sister and her interests include art, illustration music, cricket and books. She’s been an entrepreneur since 2013.
Tell us about your brand and the ideal woman you design for.
Su.re` (my brand) is a quirky ready to wear label which caters to the unconventional, urban working woman of today. The woman who wears Su.Re` is bold, unafraid to show her sense of style and is a traveller at heart picking up influences from her travels which shows in her choice of clothing, east meets west, bold and bright and eclectic.
Where do you find inspiration for your collection?
World cultures, travel and my everyday surroundings (especially the streets of Colombo) inspire my clothing, different kinds of people, their culture, festivals, faces, food and their style of living. These are the sort of things that inspire me the most.
As a fashion designer and entrepreneur what does 'style' and 'concept' mean to you?
I believe that people mix up style and fashion a lot. Fashion is a much broader picture, as the collections that come out season after season is the whole world in itself. Style is a much more personal thing and each individual has their own style, it defines who they are and what they want to portray themselves as. Style is also something you're born with, you either have it or you don't.
What is elegance according to you?
Elegance I believe is the ability to carry yourself with confidence in whatever you are wearing, with poise and "owning" what you are wearing.
Your most favourite style icon?
I don't really have a style icon as such. I like different people when they wear different things so it depends on what I'm in the mood for.
Are you inspired by the cultural heritage and crafts of Sri Lanka? How would you incorporate this into your design process?
Most definitely. I have worked with many artisans across the country working to improve their design skills and also incorporate local crafts such as batik, handloom and beeralu lace into my collections wherever suited. One of my main aims when I started my brand was to reinvent the craft of batik and give it a modern and more wearable look and I'm continuing to work on it.
What piece of advice would you give a young designer who is ambitious to start his/her design label?
Go ahead and take the risk. Be true to yourself and your style. Have a clear idea in mind of what kind of clothing you want to sell, be different, be bold and be confident in your work.
Interviewed by Sandra De Zilva
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