Inspired by her love for experimenting with combinations of the traditional and modern, Sri Lankan born Charini Suriyage has made a mark for herself in the Ethical Fashion Arena, her brand ‘Charini’ winning the first ever Ethical Fashion Award for Lingerie at the Sri Lanka Design Festival in 2010.

Charini’s love for design soon found a solid educational foundation, when she studied for her Bachelors in Fashion Design at the University of Moratuwa Sri lanka and for her Masters in Design Management at the prestigious London College of Fashion. An intensive mentoring programme she underwent enabled her to work with the best names in ethical fashion including Orsola de Castro, Filippo Ricci, Elizabeth Laskar and Claire Hamer and Marks and Spencer gaining invaluable experience in her line of expertise.

Combining her Sri Lankan heritage with modern design, her uniquely structured handcraft Spring Summer 2012 Collection will be launched in London at Estethica 2011. This luxurious eco-lingerie collection, exuberating elegance, sensuality and glamour are timeless designs with a contemporary twist. Charini refrains from using elastics, plastics, harmful dying and metal as a sustainable practice in her eco-collection. Designed for the sophisticated woman, her collection celebrates by reviving the lost heritage crafts of Sri Lanka, which she incorporates in her creations, and supports these craftsmen in maintaining sustainable livelihoods. She aspires to expand her brand more within European markets as well as in the USA.

read Charini’s interview with
Elizabeth Laskar [Ethical Consultant]

Celebrating Beauty, Comfort and Timeless Design

Together with her formal design education and expertise within the Lingerie industry, Charini is inspired by her Sri Lankan heritage to design collections that care for the environment and support small artisan communities within Sri Lanka.

Beauty, comfort and timeless design are at the heat of Charini’s design philosophy. Celebrating traditional methods of lingerie design and eliminating metals and plastic components Charini has developed a unique synergy of art, architecture and a love for the environment into her designs.
Each piece has been carefully crafted from luxury reclaimed materials together with traditional Sri Lankan hand woven silks and trims producing exquisite and unique contemporary detail to each garment.

Each hand woven lace trim has been lovingly made by women artisans in Sri Lanka and the luxurious hand woven silks have been sourced from local hand weaving communities in the cool hills of Sri Lanka. All reclaimed textiles are sourced and manufactured in Sri Lanka in factories that are certified “Garments Without Guilt”

Our ethos is that the well being of the wearer is as equally important as the well being of the environment.