Oh! Colombo 

The world is full of plus sized women and men. Yet, the world of fashion dictates that all have to be slim and trim to be fashionable. All magazines focus and show only slim and trim women, Photoshopped of course, and certainly end up giving some large sized people a complex. The clothes stores certainly do this. Many years back the West very sensibly displayed and sold clothes lines for big people. Big and Tall, Autograph, Fashion to Figure are some of these. In Colombo, a very sensible young lady focused her attention and opened a shop called Double XL in Colombo. 

It took a year, says the proprietor Adhisha, for Double XL to kick off as people did not understand that the store was for plus sized people. After a year passed many people got to know about it that Adhisha had to expand the shop. Located in Duplication Road it is most conveniently situated and there is a great choice of clothes for both men and women. For the ladies it starts from L to six XL and for the gents it starts from L to seven XL. 

The clothes in the shop vary from casual to formal wear and the fabrics are cotton, linen, silk etc. Pajamas, lingerie and a variety of accessories are also available at the shop. Frescada, the new line of linen clothing was introduced in the shop recently, where tie & dye fabrics are also created in this linen fabric and a new range has been designed for both men and women. This, Adhisha says, is an exclusive range. DXL Jeans are also a new range of Jeans they have come out with - for ladies from waist 36 to 54 and for gents 38 to 64. Both ranges are now available in the store and many a happy customer is zapping them up. There is nothing that makes Adhisha happier than a happy and content customer. Many of the customers thank her for opening such a store and giving them a feel good factor, without depriving the plus size person of shopping. 

Talking to Adhisha of her future plans for the shop, I was told that she has many up her sleeve to make the plus size person more comfortable and happy. Another branch or two are in her future plans too. Adhisha is encouraged and supported by her husband Priyan Senaratne and brother Deminda Dahanayaka. The three of them work very hard towards keeping very high standards and managing the entire operations of Double XL. 

As Gaboury Sidibe rightfully said “ It does not matter how the world perceives you. What matters is what you see. Your body is your temple, it’s your home and you must decorate it.” 

Double XL is at 31 R.A. de Mel Mawatha (Duplication Road), Colombo 4 with a branch in Negombo on 367A Main Street.