De-etcH promote kurtas that make a fashion statement

If fashion is a statement then De-etcH makes it boldly with kurtas.

Founded by two enterprising fashionistas the label has gradually gained popularity for its elegant design, fine cut and meticulous fit.

The allure for many of De-etcH's customers however is the exquisite range of materials from which the unique pieces of design are created.

De-etcH's very first collection was released in August 2010. The inception of the idea however was seeded many years ago in the minds of Dineli and Himasha - the designers, partners and the owners of the label, who share a common passion for all things elegant and tasteful.

When asked about the origins behind the brand, they said it was a combination of their names which when pronounced denotes the meaning "engraved".

Central theme

The label has released continuous collections with a central theme which was to give a modern and fresh look to local kurta designs.

"Having different styles of kurtas is not new to Sri Lankans but having a specialised elegant collection, and latest styles of kurtas with a touch of its roots from India, made the difference, they said.

How does their brand differ from others? The answer was "Exclusivity. We don't believe in mass production, on compromising quality for quantity. Every collection is well thought over and takes close to three months to finish.

The limited numbers of finished pieces are sometimes pre sold. So we pride ourselves in being able to keep the passion in what we are doing." De-etcH currently adds new designs to the collection every two weeks, apart from designs done regularly for special orders.

Possessing strong educational and working backgrounds in marketing and management, Dineli and Himasha always wanted to give life to their brand. It was almost by accident that they stumbled across the idea of kurtas. "Most women in Sri Lanka prefer to wear kurtas. It's a versatile garment that can be worn to work and even to weddings."

"We aim to deliver value for money, and want to give the client a choice. Being fashion crazy we understand what lack of choice can do to a fashion conscious lady," they said.

The designing is done by both and come alive at their workshop. The De-etcH collection consists of all types of kurtas from short to long silks to cottons, cutaways to long sleeves, smalls to extra larges, yet only one of a kind. That's where they stand out and they say their clients keep coming back. The designs are mostly inspired by traditional Indian attire with their own twist of mixing fabrics and borders.

Reaching clients

Dineli and Himasha are very particular about how they reach their clients. They make sure they offer a personalised service. Each client is given an appointment to visit their design studio."They are our clients. Not customers who just make one off purchases. When they experience De-etcH once, they keep coming back. De-etcH continues their services to the extent of doing custom designs for anyone who wants a kurta, specially made for them.

Affordable

All the designs in the collection are reasonably priced. "Kurtas are made out of different types of silks. The ones mixed with silk brocade and lace are priced high, yet affordable compared to what's available in the marke,t" said Himasha.

"All the rich silks and mixed silks are handpicked from India and are assorted with local mixed cottons and georgettes,"she said.

At the beginning they identified their market as a niche, with only couture wear kurtas in silks for ladies above 35 years, but later after realising the demand for their styles, they diversified their range into casuals in cottons for ladies of all ages.

They launched their first collection on Facebook and continued promotion with it. A positive word-of-mouth promotion by all their happy clients from all over town has also helped.

While looking to expand the existing portfolio of designs in order to cater to an ever evolving market Dineli said, "Our next step will be to grow online sales to cater to a wider and more international clientele".

With their innovative approach to running the brand coupled with their youthful creativity, the label has had a promising start and is sure to have a fruitful future.