• Arienti Founder Dinali Kodituwakku on the landscape in Sri Lanka for female entrepreneurs

She was a banker and equity analyst 12 years ago, working at Amba Research and then at the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, when she decided to create a bit of a revolution. She conceptualised a brand that made linen clothes fashionable and created a sisterhood of women who were proud to be wearing her everyday, off-the-rack clothes. They were seen at work and at parties, at supermarkets, high teas, and glam functions – the clothes would fit in everywhere. With Arienti, Dinali Kodituwakku had created a lifestyle. 

A former Sri Lanka Women’s National Tennis Champion plus multiple age group champion, a member of the Sri Lanka Federation Cup Team to New Zealand, and the Captain of the George Mason University team from where she got her economics degree, Kodituwakku just opened her second retail store in Negombo. An entrepreneur who has always remained on the media sidelines, she broke that mold to come on ‘Kaleidoscope’.

Following are excerpts from the interview:

How did you go from banking to clothing?

Like any girl or woman, at that point, I had a ‘thing’ for clothes. I love clothes and I just liked going and checking clothes out. I had a passion for clothes and clothing, and that’s the reason I made the career switch. 

How did you start off with sourcing and everything that follows?

That was very challenging because I had absolutely no industry knowledge or connections in the industry. I just knew that I wanted to do it and decided to give it a shot. I went to Pettah, sourced the fabric, and then I was stumped. 

I didn’t know where to get the clothes stitched. I remember driving miles and miles trying to find small factories where they would stitch small orders. I had no clue that you needed a pattern – I didn’t know what a pattern even meant because I had never sewn in my life. 

I found a few factories and through that, I learned the process. It has definitely been a journey, and it’s been fun. 

Why did you choose linen?

Linen is not how we started off. We started off doing work wear and then, after a while, we ventured into casual clothing. And in general, I think that our brand ethos, just our look and feel, is geared more towards comfortable, timeless, and classic silhouettes. 

Given that we operate in Sri Lanka, I think that it’s an obvious choice to get into linen as well because it’s a breathable fabric and it works so well for some classic silhouettes. These are the reasons that we got into linen.

What’s your unique selling point when it comes to your designs?

I think that it’s a combination of the quality and the price point that we offer our products at; plus the timelessness and simplicity of our design and their practicality because we would like to give our customers everyday clothes. Underlying reasons; they need to be comfortable and they need to be practical.

What were the challenges as you ventured on from 2010 to now?

There have been many. The first big challenge was that I was not from the industry and that was a massive learning curve. Thereafter, like in any business, there were so many challenges and there still are many challenges. But, challenges become a part of your daily work. But my good fortune is that we have a fantastic team that I’m super proud of, so the challenges are taken care of a little faster as we move forward.

What’s your manufacturing environment like now?

We have our own design and development team. Hence, all the designs and the cutting and the packing of our garments are done in-house. But, the production of the majority of our styles is done through manufacturing partners who we have been working with for years now.

What were your thoughts behind opening Arienti in Negombo?

We did some research through our own online data and there were lots of customers ordering or coming in from the Negombo area. It made sense for us to have a store where they could actually walk in and wear the clothes and experience Arienti in-person before making a purchase.

Another reason was that if you just drive around Negombo, you’ll see that it’s a buzzing town. I thought that it would be a good place to set up shop for brand visibility and all that goes with that.

What is it like for a woman in business in Sri Lanka?

I think that Sri Lanka is a great place for women in business. As a businesswoman in Sri Lanka, I’ve had minimal challenges. Our environment is quite conducive to women and this is proven by the fact that as a nation, we have many great women who have done well in business. They have been an inspiration to all of us. I personally don’t think that in Sri Lanka we are at a disadvantage being a woman when running a business. 

How did you marry your banking experience into your business?

That experience really helped. Being in finance and being an equity analyst as well; the training and thinking process helped me significantly. Being in apparel and fashion is one side but running a business requires other skills; knowing how to manage finances, making budgets work, and ensuring that operations run smoothly all fall into that area. Therefore, the skill-set that I had really helped me. 

What’s next for Arienti?

Our Arienti Head Office is in Ratmalana. Right now, we are working on a number of different things. At the moment, it’s super exciting. Negombo was a big event for us this quarter. In addition to that, we will be introducing many more product lines going forward. We introduced jewellery this last quarter, which has done very well and has been well received by customers. Besides, there’s lots more plans and lots to look forward to.

(The writer is the host, director, and co-producer of the weekly digital programme ‘Kaleidoscope with Savithri Rodrigo’ which can be viewed on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. She has over three decades of experience in print, electronic, and social media)