- Founder and designer Aamir Ashraf on carving a niche in the local fashion market
Lingerie has always been seen as an expression of femininity; the silks, satins, and lace just add to the allure of it all, as well as the feeling of empowerment that comes with adorning such an intricate piece. As a woman, many will attest to the challenge of finding any kind of lingerie in Sri Lanka, and thus, seeing a niche in the market, Tofo.lk Founder and Designer Aamir Ashraf took it upon himself to fill this gap.
While Tofo.lk initially began as an online brand, they’ve taken their first step towards launching a physical store by collaborating with Avirate. The entire launch collection can now be tried on and purchased at all Avirate outlets in Sri Lanka.
Aamir told us that at Tofo.lk, they put their heart and soul into sourcing and manufacturing incredible bras, underwear, sleepwear, and apparel for their customers. Their collections are curated for all Sri Lankan body types and sizes, which is an aspect that makes Tofo.lk stand out from other lingerie and intimate brands in the country.
Aamir elaborated: “The Sri Lankan body type is unique. More often than not, lingerie catered to women elsewhere in the world is not going to do the local body type justice.”
He added that Tofo’s pieces are all designed to help women look and feel their best, with outfits that give them a sense of empowerment.
As Aamir pointed out, these kinds of products are not available anywhere else in Sri Lanka. “The fashionable laces, the colours, the material – you don’t see that in the country as such. The only lingerie you see in Sri Lanka is tiringly repetitive; it’s the same cut, the same underwire style, there’s nothing new, nothing interesting.”
Aamir added that their love for innovative fabric, styles, and cuts is instilled in every photograph they take and every product they introduce.
In conversation about how Tofo.lk managed to carve a niche in today’s local fashion market, Aamir told us that having a solid understanding of the market that you’re looking to break into will help you to identify interesting gaps where you can carve out a niche for yourself, which is exactly what he did with Tofo.
“The key to creating something new and exciting is to know your market inside-out, and understand what the opportunities are before jumping in,” he explained.
We asked Aamir how he manages to stay afloat with ever-changing trends, to which he responded: “The lingerie space isn’t as regimented as the rest of the fashion industry. Trends are quite loose, although certain shapes can become more popular, such as the bralette. The interesting thing we are seeing today is the blurring between product categories, with swimwear brands branching out into lingerie and vice versa.”
In his opinion, it’s definitely more important today to build a brand around either personal branding or lifestyle, rather than trends.
However, we asked Aamir if, as a result of social media, there’s been a big shift in the direction towards creating products that fit around customers’ shopping habits and lifestyles. He responded with a resounding yes, and stated that while you need to maintain a level of authenticity within your design, it’s crucial to grow with your customer and create products that resonate with their lives.