Following Her Childhood Dream
Often, childhood passions are not taken seriously enough to mould them into chosen career paths in adult life. But, when they do, it usually forms a happy union between a fulfilled person and a much loved career. For Chavini de Silva Ariyabandhu too, discovering fashion as her dream career was a journey that started in her childhood when she idolised sensational television styles and looks seen in star-studded hollywood blockbusters. Today, she is a fashion graduate who has just starting her journey as a professional designer. As she moves on to materialise her childhood interests into fully-fledged career that she will probably enjoy for the rest of her life, Chavini looks back on her beginnings, her journey in learning fashion and the story behind her last collection.
How did your relationship with fashion begin?
From a very young age I always wanted to become a fashion designer. I used my imagination and sketched a lot. I also used to try various trends which used to come on Hollywood & Bollywood movies on myself. With time, the passion grew in me to take on fashion more seriously and pursue it.
Your last big collection was shown on Mercedes-Benz Fashion Runways. What’s the story behind it?
My final collection was inspired by the artistic, independent life of a hippie enjoying the freedom they had being rebellious in the 1960’s. I incorporated embroidery as a textile technique to represent a story of their carefree lifestyle. These embroidered textile patterns had been created with the drive in recreating the motifs in Bohemian tapestries. To personify the independent characteristics of a hippie, I modernised the relaxed feeling of their clothing with contemporary fashion, embracing oversized pants, sleeves, exaggerated collars and lengths of clothing. In conclusion, my final collection was mostly about a style of dressing with tie-ups in all five looks we had to showcase.
Do you have fun at work, and what do you enjoy about it?
Firstly, I personally believe that, ‘fun’ is a very subjective word. Fun can be implemented researching, measuring, developing or even the process of designing something. I would make my work fun by researching, as I personally love doing that. Also, I try to enjoy the process of designing, trying out different fabrics, techniques or unusual colours. But, as an outcome I try to create clothing with a vibrant colour palette, revealing a story of a culture / character.
What makes your work challenging?
I believe that comfort and marketability are two key features in a piece of clothing. It is always a challenge to find the correct affordable fabrics, techniques that are used to meet the right market level. Being a commercial conceptual designer and bringing these elements together has been the biggest challenge, I would say.
Where can someone find out more about your work?
If anyone likes to be in touch with me or check out what is happening with my design work you can visit https://maisondeariya.jimdo.com/ or visit my Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/ariya_designs/
