By Pujanee Galappaththi
Fashion trends are like the weather – extremely unpredictable. Keeping up with these trends is a rather strenuous task which our designers and design boutiques seem to have perfected. The majority of Sri Lankan designers are dedicated to creating effortless and elegant fashion suitable for the busy ladies hustling from dawn to dusk and looking fabulous doing it.
This week, we spoke to one such design store – Mimosa. Raised to fame in the past few years, Mimosa Clothing has become sensational in the Sri Lankan fashion industry. Founded by Rohen Wijeyesekera and Shehani Wijeyesekera, Mimosa produces a vibrant selection of one-of-a-kind casual, formal, and workwear for the workaholics, the party lovers, as well as the free-spirited souls.
We had a chat with Mithila Amarasekara, Head of Design at Mimosa, about their creative process, most popular designs, and outlook on Sri Lankan fashion.
When asked about their designs, Amarasekara said that they cater to the next generation of young women who love fashion. “When we decide on a collection, we forecast and research on the latest global trends and try to incorporate them into the Sri Lankan market. We always think what our customers would love to wear in terms of colour, drape, and hand feel.”
Talking about their creative process, Amarasekara added: “We at Mimosa love what we do and we get inspired by anything and everything. It could be nature, different cultures, or even a movie we watched. It’s all about experiences and how we express them through our designs.”
The design brand tries to keep up with international trends and tailor their collections to mirror them. For example, monochrome and feminine square necklines play a big role in the latest fashion trends, and if you see an abundance of square necklines in the latest Mimosa collections, don’t be surprised.
Mimosa works to produce the best by choosing the best fabric. They import their fabric from China, much like most designers in Colombo, to make sure their designs have consistent variation. “We design our pieces based on the fabric we select. Our customers always love to be the trendsetters and would go for newness and fresh textures.”
She further said that they also try to make their designs from fabrics friendly to the Sri Lankan climate. Accordingly, Mimosa uses breathable fabrics, and tencel, viscose, and cotton blends are their favourites.
Amarasekara said that the best fashion advice she tries to live by is to be fresh and authentic and that she tries to include a whole new outlook with every piece of clothing they design at Mimosa.
The denim collection
Mimosa introduced a denim collection catering to women of all shapes and sizes, and while promoting a positive image, the folks at Mimosa believe in tailoring fashion trends to suit the bodies of the majority of Sri Lankan women.
“We believe in empowering women and body positivity. The majority of our team consists of young women – motivated and ambitious. So we want our customers to be confident and happy in their skin and have fun in their Mimosa clothes.”
The ribbed tee
Besides the high-waist jeans, the other most popular item amongst the Mimosa collections is the ribbed tee. The ribbed tees are made of ribbed jersey material and according to Amarasekara, their exclusivity, comfort, and durability are the main reasons behind this allure.
“The wash care methods for ribbed tees aren’t that complicated either; you can use normal machine wash,” she added.
The ribbed tee has become one of the trendiest amongst fashionistas these days, as it gives an effortless classic look we all love. We are aware that styling your t-shirts the way you like is part of creating your signature look. However, for those of you who need extra help, we asked Amarasekara for a few tips on styling it.
“They can be styled in many ways depending on the occasion; to name a few, you can couple it with jeans, formal pants, midi skirts, miniskirts, or layer it with a slip dress.”
Website: Mimosa
Facebook: @mimosa.forever/Mimosa
Instagram: @mimosa_clothing
