A champion of recycling and upcycling, Lonali Rodrigo has  unveiled her latest collection Be You. Lonali has a knack for creating wearable fashion from discarded fabric and trims. A designer who thinks out of the box, Lonali has always championed the cause of recycling and upcyling and her brand has grown from strength to strength.

Name of designer: Lonali Rodrigo
Name of brand: l o n a l i
Name of collection: BE YOU

What inspired this collection?

Unique stories and characters of our youth inspired me to create this versatile collection. “Be you"; aims to inspire the youth to be the best version of themselves and dress fashionably yet responsibly. 

How many pieces have you created for this collection?

We have 20-25 styles that create versatile and responsible looks

Where do you source your fabrics and materials from?

As always we have given new life to beautiful discards from our apparel industry. 

How many collections do you create per season/year?

We do three collections per year while doing sub collections for accessories. Therefore we got new arrivals every month. 

What differentiates your clothes from other designers?

House of Lonali is known for  up-cycling which is the key differentiator. We do this without compromising on style. 

How ethically savvy do you think Sri Lankan fashion consumers are?

We see a clear increase in ethical consumerism in Sri Lanka and this is a very good sign for the country and the industry. 

What are the key themes you have concentrated on for this collection?

We have used a contemporary colour palette with shades of blue with a hint of maroon and red for this collection. Silhouettes in this collection are trendy and vary from straight to fitted waist with tees that can be tucked in or out. You will see a mix of stripe and check fabrics across the collection with the most interesting being the double cloth which we have used for reversible outfits. There is an array of both floral and ethnic prints in some pieces that gives a chic metropolitan look if you pair it.

Talk us through your creative process

We look for pre-consumer apparel discards from the industry and based on these we develop products and styles to suit our consumers. Our inspiration comes from people, places, aesthetics and the environment. These moments are then captured in our collections.  

Where do you retail your products?

At theDesign Collective.