La Vivente: Where Elegance Meets Empowerment - The Rise of a Visionary Brand

La Vivente (Pvt) Ltd Co-Founder/Director, Dr. Dilesha Perera receiving the award at Global CEO Top Businesswomen Awards 2025

La Vivente, an exclusive ladies’ fashion brand offering a curated range of casual and formal wear, is fast becoming one of Sri Lanka’s most admired homegrown labels. Synonymous with affordable elegance, cultural authenticity, and timeless style, the brand draws inspiration from its Italian name, which means “living”—a fitting tribute to the vibrant, confident woman it was created for.

Founded by the husband-and-wife duo, Co-Founder and Director, Dr. Dilesha Perera, and Suneth Korala. , La Vivente was born out of Dr. Dilesha’s long-held childhood dream to one day become an entrepreneur. “As I explored ways to make that dream a reality, I discovered a clear gap in the market - there were very few fashion options for women who wanted to look stylish while honoring their cultural identity. That insight became the foundation for the brand. La Vivente was created to fill that space by offering elegant, age-inclusive fashion that deeply respects tradition,” she stated.

From its humble beginnings as an online store during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, La Vivente has flourished, now boasting retail outlets in Galle, Kandy, Koswatte, Negombo, Colombo, and Pelawatte. Recently, at the prestigious Global CEO Top Businesswomen Awards 2025 held at The Hilton Colombo, she was honoured among the country’s most outstanding women leaders. 

Reflecting on this achievement, Dr. Perera remarked, “this award truly means a lot to me, it feels like validation that I’ve been on the right path, despite the many challenges I faced when starting out. My original vision was to build a retail brand with a physical presence, but the onset of COVID changed everything. We were forced to pivot and launch exclusively as an online brand. That shift meant we had to place tremendous focus on our marketing, photography, and overall visual presentation to engage an audience that, at the time, wasn’t yet fully comfortable buying clothing online. We worked incredibly hard to make that transition successful, and this award feels like a strong endorsement that we made the right choices. It not only serves as a great source of motivation, inspiring us to aim even higher, but also helps build credibility and trust within the market and among our clients and target audiences.”

Additionally In 2024, Dr. Perera has achieved further recognition by winning other major honors at the WCIC Prathibhabhisheka Awards, including Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Gold Award, the SAARC Woman Entrepreneur of the Year- Gold Winner, Provincial Women Entrepreneur of the year for the Western Province. Her pioneering work has also been acknowledged on a broader scale, earning her the title of the Most Outstanding Woman Marketeer in 2022 from the Asian Marketing Federation, alongside prestigious awards from the South Asian Business Excellence awards for the Best Women Entrepreneur of the year (SME Category) 2023.

Speaking of her early days as a wholesaler and social entrepreneur Dr. Perera’s added “, I curated fashion items for some of the top retailers, and to my surprise and delight, they really appreciated the selections I brought to them and kept coming back for more. Their consistent positive response gave me the confidence and motivation to take things a step further. It was in those early interactions that the idea of creating my own retail brand began to take shape, and that marked a significant shift in my journey.”

Dr. Perera envisions La Vivente as a brand that makes a meaningful impact across multiple fronts; “For our customers, I want the brand to represent a perfect balance of affordability, quality, and style. Our pieces are designed to be trendy and elegant, yet accessible, allowing women, to feel confident and fashionable without compromising on comfort or cultural identity. For industry peers, I hope La Vivente serves as a reminder that fashion can be both inclusive and innovative and that you can celebrate tradition while still being modern and relevant. And for the broader community, I want La Vivente to be seen as a socially conscious brand that empowers women and promotes local craftsmanship, all while staying true to its core values of authenticity, respect, and timeless style” she explained.

Looking ahead, La Vivente has set its sights on international growth. “International expansion is definitely part of our long-term vision,” says Dr. Perera. “We see great potential in markets in the South Asian countries. These regions share many aesthetic values and preferences with our existing customer base, making them a natural fit for La Vivente. We believe our designs, rooted in tradition yet tailored for the modern woman, will resonate well with audiences in these markets. We’re taking a strategic approach to ensure that when we do expand, we stay true to our brand ethos while adapting to the unique tastes and needs of each new region.”

As the brand evolves, so does its vision. The latest chapter in La Vivente’s story is the launch of their eco-friendly skincare and haircare range. “This range has been developed with a strong commitment to clean beauty, ensuring all products are completely chemical-free, and aligned with our values of wellness and sustainability. The idea is to extend the La Vivente lifestyle beyond fashion and into self-care, offering our customers holistic solutions that are safe, natural, and ethically produced. We’re incredibly excited about the potential it has to positively impact both our community and the environment,” she shared.

As a seasoned entrepreneur, Dr. Perera’s view of success has also evolved.

“Today, success is about finding peace and balance in all areas of my life, harmonizing work, family, health, and personal growth. It’s the ability to enjoy the journey, to nurture meaningful relationships, and to feel fulfilled in what I do every day. Over the  years , I’ve come to realize that true success lies in living a well-rounded, purposeful life, where happiness and inner contentment matter just as much as external achievements.”

For those looking to follow in her footsteps, her advice is both practical and inspiring, “Start today. Don’t wait for the perfect moment or for everything to be perfectly in place—take that first step, even if it’s small. Begin with what you have, and grow steadily from there. At the same time, think big and dream boldly about where you want to go, because having a clear vision will keep you motivated and focused through the ups and downs. And importantly, always have a Plan B. Challenges and setbacks are inevitable, so being adaptable and prepared with alternative strategies will help you navigate obstacles without losing momentum. Success is a journey of persistence, learning, and resilience. So start now, stay flexible, and keep your eyes on the bigger picture.”

As for the legacy she hopes to build for the brand, Dr. Perera says: “I want La Vivente to be remembered not just for its stylish and culturally respectful designs, but for how it uplifted and inspired women to embrace their identity confidently at every stage of life. More broadly, I hope my work encourages entrepreneurship that values integrity, resilience, and social responsibility. Ultimately, I want to leave behind a lasting example of how passion combined with purpose can create meaningful change.”

As such, La Vivente today is not just a brand, it is a symbol of resilience, empowerment, tradition and modernity. Under Dr. Dilesha Perera’s visionary leadership, it continues to redefine what it means to live beautifully and authentically, one collection at a time.