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Launched in 2012, ESKÉ, the clothing boutique, is aimed at the discerning and fashion conscious woman. ESKÉ is now being re-launched at its flagship store in Battaramulla, and promises a chic new line with plenty of trend-led wardrobe essentials.
The driving force behind ESKÉ, Serana De Silva, is a recent graduate of RMIT University in Melbourne with a Masters’ degree in fashion entrepreneurship and an undergraduate degree in Accounting. She created the brand along with her friend, Keshya Kumaranyagam (the brand name is a combination of both their names) as they wanted to address the struggle many women faced in Colombo when looking for that one unique clothing item.
“I dreaded walking into one of those extravagant Sri Lankan parties and seeing someone else wearing the same dress as me. We all shop in the same stores and buy the same few styles. I wanted to change that. I decided that it was time to move away from mass production and offer our clients one-of-a-kind trend led pieces with a focus on quality and design,” says Serana.
Serana further asserted that businesses often fail to understand that the customer should be at the heart of the business. “Everything we do should revolve around solving their problems and pleasing them. Fashion is not only an art form; it also enables us to express ourselves. What better way to give women the ability to show their personalities than through the clothes they wear which give them the self-confidence to know that they look and feel amazing? As our motto goes, at ESKE we love fashion and celebrate uniqueness!”
In a hugely-oversaturated market, ESKÉ differentiates themselves from other clothing stores by offering well-thought-out styles that are handpicked and designed by Serana.
“We differentiate ourselves from the countless others through our unique selection offered in limited quantities to maintain exclusivity. Quality is synonymous with our brand and we aim for excellence in this regard. Additionally, we believe that affordability is an essential component of the brand and the prices we offer are set with this in mind. This is a challenging task for clothing that’s not mass produced, but we compensate by designing a variety of styles to suit our different customers.”
The ESKÉ customer-base comprises women of any age category, as they believe that fashion has no age limit! “Currently, our core target remains within the 16-65 age group category but we plan on expanding our styles to suit a wider variety of women in the future. After all, our goal is to promote uniqueness!”
Serana stressed the fact that ESKÉ will remain a small-scale business to ensure that exclusivity is maintained, but she does have plans the future. “We aim to broaden our style range and eventually switch from a mix of in-house and outsourced clothing to items designed and stitched by us to cater to the tastes and demands of the modern woman.”
An added feature to Serana’s repertoire will be hand painted garments, which will soon be on the racks along with Serana’s other garments. In fact the sari her mother Sonali wore was one of Serana’s creations.
With a new and improved in-store experience at their flagship store in Battaramulla, ESKÉ offers its customers a unique collection alongside new branding and more sophisticated packaging.