Catherine Rawson is the British born founder of The Old Railway, a lovely little boutique in the heart of Galle. A cafe cum fashion store, The Old Railway is one of the few cafes which operate outside the confines of the Galle Fort. A graduate of the Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design, Catherine has worked in fashion houses in London and France before settling down in Galle. Having shown twice at Colombo Fashion Week, Catherine is fast gaining recognition for as a designer of repute.
Q. What is the single most important reason for your success?
Self-belief. If you don’t actually believe in your product, then I don’t think it will take long for people to see through it all.
Q. How did you come up with this idea?
It was a joint decision really between my husband and myself. Rasi’s family had a property in the new part of Galle town that was in a state of disrepair. We really liked it as it had lots of character, being one of the old store houses for the railway station. We asked if we could use it as business premises and promised to do all of the renovations. My husband wanted to create a modern café outside of the Galle Fort and I wanted to do something creative with the local fabrics and so we combined the shop and café into one place. I wanted customers to see that all our items were handmade by local people so we decided to incorporate our working studio into the same building as well as Rasi’s travel agency - making it a one stop shop in Galle for tourists and locals alike.
Q. How do you balance work, life and friends?
Well in the first couple of years of setting up The Old Railway I’m not sure that I did manage to balance these things! My husband and I were totally involved in every step, the renovation process, the decoration process, the art on the walls, selecting the door handles through to manning the shop floor when we first opened. I was also buying all fabric and resources myself and making everything that was sold single handedly. Social life took a back seat and most nights we were too exhausted to make dinner. The hard work paid off in the end and now we have a wonderful staff who share the work load and we can spend some time away from the shop and café as a family.
I have just had a baby, Seth, so I am now working a few mornings a week in the shop and then giving myself a part time maternity leave in order to spend time with Seth.
Q. What were your most difficult obstacles when starting your business?
I would say that the infancy of the Sri Lankan fashion scene and my lack of knowledge of designers in Colombo were both obstacles for me. I started out my designing here in a much more craft based way, trying to aim my clothes to the local Galle market, cheap and cheerful as we say at home. However it became apparent that there was a much more sophisticated fashion scene developing very quickly in Colombo that I wanted to be a part of. This allowed me to focus on more advanced modern patterns and fabric manipulation which has now become my signature style.
Q. Any advice for young people who don’t have the courage to start up their business?
Never say Never! Have confidence in your ideas or no one else will!
I never thought 10 years ago that I would have achieved what I have so far - taking part in Fashion Week and having my own business and fashion label. Only you stand in the way of making your dream a reality, no one else so don’t be negative. Take any knock back as a challenge to succeed next time.
Q. How old were you when you started your business?
At 23 I started a small handmade children’s toy business and sold at markets around the East End of London. It went hand in hand with part time waitressing jobs and internships at fashion houses. The Old Railway began when I was 30.
Q. When did you first get the idea for your business and what did you do towards making it a reality?
My husband and I went to the UK for a holiday in August 2009 and we got engaged while we were there. Following this while making all of our wedding plans, we decided we really needed to make a stamp on Galle by creating a unique business that would set us up for life and encourage new designers to do the same thing.
Q. If you could add a famous entrepreneur to your team who would it be and why?
It would have to be British designer Jenny Packham without a doubt. She has founded a 25 year fashion company based on the power of her conviction in her own style of design.
Q. How did you get the capital to start up your venture?
The shop/café property was already in the family so my husband and I spent all of our savings on the renovations and a small pile of resources to open the shop with. I had a limited range of fabrics and items when we opened the shop door and we literally had to wait to sell something before we could make anything new. It was a very lean few months before sales became a regular part of the working day and we managed to add a member of staff to the team! That was a very proud moment!
Q. What is your “Golden Rule” in business?
Be honest with yourself about time frames and be honest with others about cost.
Q. Where do you hope to see your business in 5 years’ time?
I would love to have my own shop in Colombo and be retailing in independent boutiques in the UK. I would like to think I will still be taking part in Fashion Weeks all over the world and would love to be providing jobs for more talented tailors here in Sri Lanka.
Text by Tina Edward Gunawardhana
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Doria Garms-Sotelo says:
May 31, 2014 at 12:00 amThank you so much for this valuable information. I used to live in Sri Lanka 20 years ago and hope to one day move back.