Skzin Designs 2012 launches tomorrow

By Kshanika Argent

Skzin Designs 2012 is set to rock the way we see tees as the label gears up for the launch of its second collection of t-shirts at Liberty Plaza Lobby on 1 April from 9a.m. (which coincides with the H2 Men’s Wear launch) at the same venue. The tees will be available for sale at the Liberty Plaza launch and will soon be available at leading fashion outlets.

H2 Men’s Wear is made by Indigenous – a company that has been manufacturing men’s and kids underwear for over 10 years for international brands. H2 now launches in Sri Lanka the same quality garments that they export. The fabric and the accessories that go into this underwear range is the highest quality and its designed structure has been proven to be comfortable and even healthy for the body.

The Skzin designer label however is a brainchild of Dr. Milinda Salpitikorala, best known for his work as an artist, band manager and CMO at a leading private hospital.

The 1 April launch is Salpitikorala’s second offering of tees inspired by rock/metal and traditional Sri Lankan elements and offers, more mature, refined designs.

The attention grabbing logos of skulls, ancient Kastana swords, skeletal fish, Sri Lankan lion-inspired motifs, ying-yang fused tribal art and other elements inspired by the paranormal (crop circles, crystal skulls etc.) are delivered in a focused splash of bright white on 100 per cent pure black cotton.

These tees go for beyond the mundane splatter of colour and random-to-lame one liners usually found at your favourite fashion retail outlets. In fact, Salpitikorala claims that that Skzin is where all his best art goes. The detail in the artwork is exceptional, the concepts cool and the artwork on some tees like the crossing of the Kastana swords are simple but bold, while the skeletal fish are gory, macabre and not for the faint hearted.

On his new collection, Salpitikorala said, “Each design narrates a story, it’s not just a few funny words or a splash of coloured paint that look cool,” adding that the material and the print used, far exceeds any other in the market.

The tees which come in standard USA sizes of S, M, L and XL, are perfect alignment and boast a larger variety of designs to choose from.

The designs incorporate some of Salpitikorala favourite elements and themes; a little something for the rocker, Goth chick and anyone else interested in standing out from the crowd.

Equally impressive is the quality of Skzin’s website, from which tees can be ordered. At www.skzin.com, one can view slide shows of each new available design.

Explaining further the inspiration behind the new t-shirt collection, Salpitikorala states that metal has remained the soundtrack to his art over the years, influenced mostly by bands like Opeth, Iron Maiden, Arch Enemy, Rudra and Lamb of God. His love of the genre has led him to double up as the manager for melodic death metal band Fallen Grace.

The generous print sizes and high quality fabric that is ccomfortable, soft and lightweight is ideal for humid island weather. It holds up great in the wash and most importantly, remains true to its brand name for being as comfortable as your second skin.