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| Sunday, 7 December 2003 |
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New designers Revitalising the
forgotten by Umangi de Mel Beeralu Lace is mainly found in the southern part of the country and was introduced to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century.
The craft was later on developed by the Dutch in the seventeenth century. Famous among the fairer sex, Beeralu Lace is a source of employment for both young and the old. Its intricate designs are appreciated not only by locals, the foreigners are pretty interested in the craft as well. Sri Lanka is on par with the fashionable cities around the world. And the number of women who conquer the field keep growing and their tastes seem to be quiet innovative and sophisticated. Beeralu Lace being her choice young Manjula Medagoda says that she has a particular knack for the traditional craft which has been forgotten of rather downsided by modern society. " After doing a bit of research, I finally managed to learn about beeralu lace. I'm into feminine and simple stuff which is why I like beeralu that has the typical feminine touch," Manjula says. Using beeralu lace to add colour to her collection, Manjula created three prets and an avant-garde that has an exquisite Dutch look. I've chosen colours, cuts and shapes to my designs according to my story board that had to go through the process of making the accessories out of beeralu including hand bags," she reveals.
The distinct qualities of her prets and avant-garde seem to be the sleeve and the cut, "I was impressed by the long sleeve and the feminine cut," she seems to be one among the fashionable women who has acquired a sense of style that brings fame and adds variation to the fashion industry. Weaving subtle yet amazing patterns out of one of the most simple things like beeralu lace, Manjula points out that Beeralu is obsolete now. "It's an art that is forgotten by people but I wanted to bring back to society and show its importance," she says that it's pointless importing lace. I saw the real S.L. essence in the intricate designs that beeralu lace can weave. Manjula says that her passion for fashion and designing has been there from her younger years. "I've always made dresses and wanted to design stuff. But it was difficult to find the correct place to learn the art. Finally I got lucky to enter (LIFT) where I did my diploma.
We learnt textiles, pattern making, designing and colouring. You've got to acquire a clear idea of what you want to do and have a good knowledge of colours and textures. above all I've got to have a good taste, to do a "good job," she says. Being the busy working girl that she is, Manjula who works for Hatton National Bank say that it's quite stressful to manage both. "We have to do a lots of assignments, meet the deadlines and complete before we move on to another assignment. It was a great challenge since I had stayed till late on week days in order to finish the assignments, nevertheless working on them was very interesting," she reveals. Petite designer Manjula says her parents weren't into the art but for her it has been the greatest passion, "one day I'd like to start something on my own LIFT has given me the basic knowledge to do that and I hope to do it with aplomb." |
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I blended the features of the modern woman with the typical Dutch
influenced look in Galle. "Galle folk wore simple yet very modest
clothes that have a great appeal which is why I focused more on that sort.
Talking about her collection she says that she preferred eye-catching
colours and glamorous cuts.
She reveals that the course has given her a wealth of information which
was pretty interesting," You learn so much about what you didn't know
about fashion. It's when you realise that fashion and designing is not
only a set of pretty dresses. There's definitely more to it.
