To have the opportunity of working with your sister is not one many get; and certainly not one many would want! Whenever would you get any work done in between the bickering and the gossiping? This is a balance that Najila and Ruzla, two beautiful sisters and the dynamic duo behind KOCA, have easily found. KOCA is one of the country’s emerging young designer labels, and have had to cope with increasing public interest following their showing at the Colombo Fashion Week 2012.
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| Ruzla |
Najila |
Najila explains the reasoning behind their sibling-cooperative success. “We complement each other. She has her own style, I have mine; but we always find a way to combine them and create something beautiful.”
KOCA is a name that her niece came up with; derived from a Sinhala term but pronounced with more edge, KOCA is for the young and young at heart. Najila and Ruzla schooled at Methodist College, and then went on to pursue separate careers. From a small age, the two sisters gained a reputation for their designs, dressing up their dolls in matching outfits and tailoring their own clothes.
Ruzla decided to follow her passion and went on to study fashion design at the JDI Institute (now known as Lanka Institute of Fashion Technology), while Najila indulged in her love for teaching by becoming a pre-school teacher. Ruzla was quick to shine; she took part in the Heritage Fashion Show and won an award for her category, while winning the award for Best Casual Wear at the 2006 Designer of the Year competition.
Najila eventually followed her sister into the industry. She started her degree at JDI in 2005, while also working at Timex as a lingerie designer.She believes the experience made her a much better designer overall. “You learn to sell your own clothes, and design within limitations,” she explains. Both sisters believe that it takes much more than creativity and a flair for design to make it in the fashion industry.
In 2008, Najila married and moved to Singapore, but that didn’t stop the two sisters from embarking on their aspiration of getting their own label.
They launched their collection at Chic, a fashion show at the Hilton Colombo. Following the enthusiastic response, they started out on a small scale, with a display rack at the Pedlars Inn Gallery Café at Galle Fort. Najila says as a destination for many expatriates and tourists, they received good business with this move-even a commission from a French lady to design a collection for the Dubai market.
Last month they presented at the Colombo Fashion Week 2012 (CFW), competing for the Pantene Gen Next Designer of the Year award which was ultimately won by Deneth Piuma for her cheeththa creations. However the sisters are grateful to the organizers for giving them the opportunity. “It’s so well organized, and it’s a great platform for designers in Sri Lanka,” they say of the CFW.
Their new collection Najila says was inspired by the architectural intricacies of the Galle Fort, a place the young women often visited as children. They also cite the Kandyan dancers’ jewellery and motifs as part of their inspiration for the CFW collection.
The designers describe their style as ‘feminine with a touch of edge’ and say they are supporters of versatility in design as today’s hectic schedules do not always allow for the wearer to change in- between events. It is this market they cater to, with their simple silhouettes that are transformed with a personalized touch, something Najila likes to call the ‘wow factor’.
They balance out the time and distance differences (Najila lives in Singapore and Ruzla lives here) well enough. Najila comes down to the island every three months, and spends the interim period researching and updating herself with new trends and sub-cultures. Both sisters make it a point to study established designers and their quality of work, but will never copy their style. As Ruzla advises, ‘believe in yourself and never imitate.’
As KOCA makes a name for itself here and overseas, these two sisters are brimming with drive, passion and an obvious flair for design. They epitomize everything that goes; love what you do, and do what you love. |
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