‘Live Large’ unveiled by new look Double XL

Wednesday, 30 November 2016 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The newly refurbished Double XL store on Duplication Road Colombo 4 spotlighted a ‘celebration of size’ when it launched the Live Large campaign featuring renowned chef Koluu in a stunning campaign that featured both classic and contemporary designs. Aligned to the theme of the campaign, the store also launched a spectacular Red Carpet Collection in time for the festive season, emphasising that living large can truly be a celebration of life.

Double XL, the pioneer in plus size clothing in Colombo was conceptualised by Adhisha Dahanayake, herself a plus size to serve the ‘neglected’ plus size segment. Founding the store in 2010 with the support of her husband Priyan Senarath Gamage and brother Deminthe Dahayanake, Adhisha’s fundamental idea was to infuse the key elements of comfort, design and style into quality manufactured apparel. With the complete refurbishment of the store and the new collection, including Double XL’s own labels DXL and ADISHA, she says the reason she chose Koluu as Brand Ambassador is because, “Koluu, a well known personality among Sri Lankans, represents the concept of the plus size which is what Double XL emphasises.”

The campaign featuring Koluu is inspired by the captivating fusion of dashing period style and 21st century sensibility taken from Scott Fitzgerald’s literary classic turned blockbuster film The Great Gatsby and also in spotlighting Hollywood red carpet pizzazz. As the Gatsby Man, Koluu is quite swashbuckling on the one hand with his ivory linen suit with peak lapels and casually worn shirt accessorised with walking stick and shawl, while on the other, donning in feathers and fringes, beads and gloves, looking quite elegant as the ‘20s woman. Hitting the circuit of bright lights in Hollywood, chic he is in gorgeous floor length grace and debonair as the Red Carpet man.

Addressing the media, Koluu enthused about being flattered to be chosen as Brand Ambassador, stating, “Considering the issues faced by extra-large people, it is great to show the world that being large is not a sin or shameful; one can dress and look well. I believe that larger the person, larger the personality and there is more to love and adore.” Hence, ‘Live Large’ is not only about being proud to be large but also living life to the maximum. It denotes style, with an element of humour, which is truly a reflection of the brand and of Koluu, who represents the brand. “I absolutely love the clothes and the twist of doing both roles of female and male. It was so much fun and certainly won’t be the usual boring mundane advertising campaign,” says Koluu.

Double XL, which has now grown into a team of 60 including a collective of in-house designers in addition to a strong supply chain, launched its second outlet on Main Street, Negombo in 2015. Besides its own labels Double XL has fashionable accessories including jewellery, shoes, belts, hats and lingerie while also featuring a range of design labels from Freskada and DXL Jeans. On future plans, Adhisha says, “We are exploring the export market and currently negotiating with a buyer in Australia and also have plans to open more outlets in Colombo to make Double XL accessible to all those who want to celebrate size and Live Large!”

Pix by Daminda Harsha Perera