Nipuna Ratnayake started Kleider Clothing with his then-girlfriend, now wife, Sachini Abeywickrema. They are currently both working in the private sector. They started Kleider Clothing as a result of Ratnayake’s dream to start a clothing brand of his own. We spoke to him on his venture and more. Here are some excerpts of the interview.
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Kleider Clothing Co-founder Nipuna Ratnayake and Wife Sachini Abeywickrema[/caption]
What inspired you to start up your brand?
I believe my idea of starting a clothing brand was inspired by my passion and interest in fashion. From my small days, I knew I wanted to start my own venture when I grew up. Back then, I did not know what I wanted to get into. However, as time passed, while I was in the last year of university, around 2015, I got this idea of starting a clothing brand. From that moment, starting Kleider Clothing has been my brainchild project where I have been doing a deep study into the fashion industry as I needed to set up my process and value stream.
Those days were extremely hard, as there was limited information and I did not have any ties to the fashion industry. I studied the industry and business for about two years and started Kleider Clothing in early 2019. My father always said “do what you love, love what you do”, and this has been one of the mottos in my life too. So it is correct to say that my dream inspired me to start this back then, and it still does.
I was also greatly supported by my partner, as we share the same passion for fashion. We always tend to share ideas and try to come up with design ideas together.
From where do you derive the inspiration for your products?
Our current collections are inspired and focused on casualwear for women. We try to provide clothing and fashion for your everyday lifestyle. Almost all our designs can be dressed up or down based on where you want to wear them.
Do you believe in sustainability?
Absolutely. We always do think about environmental sustainability in our business model. For example, we do not use any polythene-based packaging material for our products. We only use paper-based packaging material and bags for our packages. Also, we have an upcycling project planned for our leftover fabric, which is delayed due to Covid-19. We plan to start it as soon as possible. Furthermore, we believe that it is important to be sustainable as a business in order to provide a great service to our customers while uplifting the standards of local service providers connected to our business.
What is the process behind making your products?
We are a clothing brand which designs and manufactures all the products in Sri Lanka. We source our material from the local market and design accordingly. Currently, all the activities related to our brand, except patternmaking and sewing, are done in-house. We have a very talented and experienced team who supports us immensely to provide a high-quality product to our customers for the outsourced activities.
What makes your brand unique?
We are a brand that focuses on providing our customers with a unique fashion solution. Our products are not produced in very large quantities. We manufacture only limited pieces from each style, and we do not remanufacture them in the same colour and design. We get a few requests every day to restock the sold-out styles, but we kindly explain our business model to them. We attend to all our customers’ inquiries within one to two hours in order to provide prompt customer service. A customer can purchase a unique product from us at an affordable price, and we always deliver it to them in one to three days, anywhere in the country.
Do you think this third wave of Covid will affect your business?
This pandemic situation has redefined the winners and losers in the business world. But we believe that if you have the correct strategy in place, everyone can be a winner. Having said that, there are a lot of positives and negatives with Covid.
Customers’ buying patterns have transitioned towards online purchases, whereas the raw material prices have increased due to the exchange rate impact. However, we have not increased the prices of the products, as we are bearing up the extra cost.
We need to emphasise the importance of buying local and supporting local businesses in these troubling times, as you will not only be supporting one local business but many connected parties such as home-based sewing machine operators.
What are your plans for the future?
We have a few plans for the future of Kleider Clothing. Currently, we are mostly based online and on social media platforms. Very recently, we started retailing with Numa – The Concept Store in Colombo 7, and our customers can visit it and purchase our products. We have a plan to start a physical store as soon as possible to create for our customers a unique shopping experience with an extended product portfolio. Furthermore, we have a plan to take our brand to the international market and support the Sri Lankan economy best we can.
Kleider Clothing Co-founder Nipuna Ratnayake and Wife Sachini Abeywickrema[/caption]
What inspired you to start up your brand?
I believe my idea of starting a clothing brand was inspired by my passion and interest in fashion. From my small days, I knew I wanted to start my own venture when I grew up. Back then, I did not know what I wanted to get into. However, as time passed, while I was in the last year of university, around 2015, I got this idea of starting a clothing brand. From that moment, starting Kleider Clothing has been my brainchild project where I have been doing a deep study into the fashion industry as I needed to set up my process and value stream.
Those days were extremely hard, as there was limited information and I did not have any ties to the fashion industry. I studied the industry and business for about two years and started Kleider Clothing in early 2019. My father always said “do what you love, love what you do”, and this has been one of the mottos in my life too. So it is correct to say that my dream inspired me to start this back then, and it still does.
I was also greatly supported by my partner, as we share the same passion for fashion. We always tend to share ideas and try to come up with design ideas together.
From where do you derive the inspiration for your products?
Our current collections are inspired and focused on casualwear for women. We try to provide clothing and fashion for your everyday lifestyle. Almost all our designs can be dressed up or down based on where you want to wear them.
Do you believe in sustainability?
Absolutely. We always do think about environmental sustainability in our business model. For example, we do not use any polythene-based packaging material for our products. We only use paper-based packaging material and bags for our packages. Also, we have an upcycling project planned for our leftover fabric, which is delayed due to Covid-19. We plan to start it as soon as possible. Furthermore, we believe that it is important to be sustainable as a business in order to provide a great service to our customers while uplifting the standards of local service providers connected to our business.
What is the process behind making your products?
We are a clothing brand which designs and manufactures all the products in Sri Lanka. We source our material from the local market and design accordingly. Currently, all the activities related to our brand, except patternmaking and sewing, are done in-house. We have a very talented and experienced team who supports us immensely to provide a high-quality product to our customers for the outsourced activities.
What makes your brand unique?
We are a brand that focuses on providing our customers with a unique fashion solution. Our products are not produced in very large quantities. We manufacture only limited pieces from each style, and we do not remanufacture them in the same colour and design. We get a few requests every day to restock the sold-out styles, but we kindly explain our business model to them. We attend to all our customers’ inquiries within one to two hours in order to provide prompt customer service. A customer can purchase a unique product from us at an affordable price, and we always deliver it to them in one to three days, anywhere in the country.
Do you think this third wave of Covid will affect your business?
This pandemic situation has redefined the winners and losers in the business world. But we believe that if you have the correct strategy in place, everyone can be a winner. Having said that, there are a lot of positives and negatives with Covid.
Customers’ buying patterns have transitioned towards online purchases, whereas the raw material prices have increased due to the exchange rate impact. However, we have not increased the prices of the products, as we are bearing up the extra cost.
We need to emphasise the importance of buying local and supporting local businesses in these troubling times, as you will not only be supporting one local business but many connected parties such as home-based sewing machine operators.
What are your plans for the future?
We have a few plans for the future of Kleider Clothing. Currently, we are mostly based online and on social media platforms. Very recently, we started retailing with Numa – The Concept Store in Colombo 7, and our customers can visit it and purchase our products. We have a plan to start a physical store as soon as possible to create for our customers a unique shopping experience with an extended product portfolio. Furthermore, we have a plan to take our brand to the international market and support the Sri Lankan economy best we can.