Three things immediately come to mind when first meeting Shimalka Bodaragama Samaranayake, she’s smart, dynamic and effortlessly chic to boot. At just 25, she’s a Miss Sri Lanka runner up, model, fashion designer and much more, it would seem that whatever she decides to put her mind to, she excels at it.

An old girl of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya, her path to success began soon after school when her height and good looks propelled her forward into the modelling world; it saw her participating in the New Generation Model contest and Oriflame Look of the Year.

Shimalka was then scouted as a presenter for TV and after the intial training, went on to host a morning show. 

 

 

It was during her stint as a presenter that she was offered the chance to work for a leading Airline as a member of the cabin crew, a postion she gladly took.

Recalling her time with the airline, she says although she got to travel and visit so many places, it was too hard darting between the airport and classes for her degree in Fashion Technology at the Lanka Institute of Fashion Technology.

“Ever since I was a kid, I used to write down everywhere that I would be a designer one day. I would say my favourite designers are Darshi Keerthisena, Valentino and Coco Chanel. My mother is also a designer of leather goods and is a big inspiration to me. I was able to see a lot of international fashions and collect fabrics while I was flying and have used those in my designs,” said Shimalka.

After graduation, Shimalka took a break from fashion to take part in the Miss Sri Lanka 2011 pageant; she walked away with the first runner up title alongside 6 mini titles, a record for a contestant in the pageant.

While she enjoyed her time with the pageant and says she gained good working knowledge through the experience, she soon returned to her love of design.

 

 

A unique aspect of the young designer is that she preferred to focus on men’s wear early on, launching her own men’s wear label VS Wear. Her designs were a success and saw her designing shirts for many local male celebrities.

Soon her friends were asking for women’s wear and after giving it some serious thought, she launched a new line entitled, Ladies Runway with her mother.

“I always keep my designs unique from anything else. I personally think it’s worthless paying a high price to wear something at least three other women will also own. That’s why I always make sure my designs are never repeated. If someone asks for it, I’ll make a small change but I won’t ever repeat the exact same design again,” she explained adamantly. 

 

 

Asked if she had any fashion pet peeves, she quickly replies, “Bangles! “I don’t like bangles, I find them so annoying! They always break especially the glass ones with all the glitter dust.”

At the moment, Ladies Runway is only available on Facebook, as this seemed the best way to get in touch with customers without taking too big a risk at the beginning. Opening a store is certainly an option but according to the designer, not in the near future.

 

 

Although the label is flying high and Shimalka has a loyal following of customers and is even hoping to expand the product line, all this came after a lot of hard work and dedication to her craft.

She says as a new designer looking to make a name for oneself here, it’s extremely hard due to all the factory rejects flooding the market, along with the fact that Colombo is so small and there are so many new designers popping up.

“The only way to push through is to make sure your designs stand out and are of the highest quality. The price won’t matter if the design is unique enough. I have a workshop in Kohuwala where all the designing and tailoring is done, once the customer picks a design, I choose the fabrics and do all the cutting, then hand it over to my helper who does the sewing, it’s very hands-on so I know everything that goes out is of the highest quality.”

 

 

With things going so well, she is hoping to expand the collection by launching an ‘ensemble pack’, these will include handmade belts, clutches and other accessories designed by her mother to go with any outfit.

Shimalka says she has begun promoting her designs overseas and will even consider starting a kids’ wear collection later on. It would seem the sky’s the limit for this young woman as she pursues her dreams of designing. 

 

 

 

 

By Lake Argent

Pics by Kithsiri de Mel