Sitting down with Asanka De Mel, the CEO of LOVI Sarongs, was — as clichéd as it sounds —inspirational. Sri Lanka is at an era of rampant globalization, and everything about it is evolving at a fast and hectic pace. We see the proverbial question — Is culture dying? — cropping up most of the time, and the answer to that is that culture is morphing and changing into something different yet also quite familiar. That’s an interesting proposition, don’t you think? When I first came across LOVI Sarongs, it was on some publication or the other; the male model looking stunning, sharp, and yet quite unrealistic in a very debonair setting. That’s not a possibility, right? I mean wearing sarongs to some function in the evening while everyone else is dressed up in an evening dress, and suit and tie — it seems not done. Such mistrust from a person who sleeps in a sarong, wakes up in a sarong, and goes about such normal household chores in a sarong.
Yet certainly such mistrust is not something that Colombo’s well-loved celebrities — think Danu Innasithamby; Tiesh’s Ayesh De Fonseka; and international finance lawyer Aritha Wickramasinghe — share. As of today, LOVI Sarongs are shipped worldwide, and are making inroads onto the global stage. However, it needs to be mentioned that this is one brand that certainly does have a large and potent vision attached to it. It was captivating to watch Asanka detail how the creation of LOVI Sarongs was more of an attempt to help evolve Sri Lankan culture. In his words — the sarong needed an update; and it certainly has got a veritable update. What was regarded by younger Generation X’ers as something that Apachchi wore is now accepted by millennials as comfortable, cool, fashionable, and allows freedom of movement.
In fact, Asanka went onto state that they do have a customer base that are made up of preteens. With his desire to cater to those who consider themselves global citizens, it probably was a prognostication that their very first sale, 18 months ago, was for a customer in Britain. With retail sales spanning well over 25 countries, LOVI Sarongs has its presence in 5 boutique stores in Colombo. With over two decades spent in the grueling and unforgiving world of Silicon Valley, Asanka taps into his previous reincarnation of a detail-oriented and tech-savvy savant to design and craft a canvas of culture for future generations.
He smiles as he took me on a journey into the history of the sarong, and why he is a fan of such a functional and humble piece of clothing. Think about it, he says, the sarong is something that is worn by people in Costa Rica, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and even by those who live in some countries of Africa. But what is required at present is innovation; Asanka is very focused in his belief that LOVI Sarongs is an exploration of what the Sri Lankan identity should be in the future. While all of this may indeed seem rather philosophical, the fact is that the sarong in its past form seemed rather impractical for today’s modish lifestyle. This is why soft, suave, and detail-oriented materials festooned with pockets and belts have brought sarongs into the limelight today.
With a nod towards the team behind LOVI Sarongs, which Asanka describes as a talented bunch of hardworking individuals who are passionate craftsmen in their own right, he speaks of how they are all taken up with the joy of good clothing. With 8 years spent in New York City, Asanka was exposed to a vast portfolio of fashions that transcend culture, functionality, and also diverse trends. Fashion is an entity that is relevant to the zeitgeist of this current era; the mission of LOVI Sarongs is to define the Sri Lankan look for the future.
Forever a lifelong learner, and an avid reader, this charismatic aficionado of fashion tells me of a Jean de La Fontaine quote, which sums up his life quite simply: A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it. And while he says he’s been working on the whole concept for LOVI Sarongs for ‘a week and my whole life’, it certainly shows that hard work is finally a very rewarding thing. Heartened by what he says are the various risks people in Sri Lanka are taking for entrepreneurial pursuits, he acknowledges that everyone has a different risk profile, and that nothing worth doing is very easy.
Dismissing the whole concept of failure as an opportunity to learn, the somewhat quiet and reserved founder of LOVI Sarongs, dare I say it, is certainly becoming a cultural and fashion protagonist that is shaking up the status quo on a global stage. Having just arrived from Paris where LOVI Sarongs has piqued the interest of those residing in the capital of fashion, it certainly seems that for Asanka success is just a sarong away.
LOVI Sarongs can be purchased from Rs. 5,500 to Rs.9,500 at The Design Collective.
For more information, please visit lovisarongs.com
Written by Rohitha Perera