A quick glance at Instagram after Sri Lankan designer Amesh Wijesekera’s Berlin Fashion Week debut at E-Werk this morning, revealed that everyone was waxing lyrical about one thing: the colours. And what colours these were: raspberry, creamy pale golds and burnished bronzes, crimson, tangerine, ochre, rust. These were colours to brighten up even the greyest of Tuesdays in a Berlin January, colours to make you smile and think of sun-soaked beaches, bustling bazaars, somewhere vibrant and far away from the cold, grit-studded streets of the German capital.
Vibrancy is essential for Wijesekera, who was born in London, grew up in Columbo, Sri Lanka, “right beside the beach”, and is now based between the two cities. “I wanted to use more colour and make everyone happy. I’m a very colourful person,” the designer tells SLEEK. “Living in Sri Lanka is so vibrant — sunsets, fruits and flowers — so much in colour, so I think about how I can put it all together and make something exciting.” It’s difficult not to be reminded of a glorious, red-hot sun sinking into the horizon upon seeing Wijesekera’s AW19 collection. Many of the garments are multi-toned: cerise moves into scarlet, scarlet merges with orange and into gold just like the ombre sunsets on the Indian island.
Wijesekera’s debut at BFW (as part of the Mercedes-Benz showcase) follows on from a string of accolades. Originally discovered at Mercedes-Benz fashion week in Columbo while studying at Sri Lanka’s Academy of Design, Wijesekera won the Graduate Fashion Week London International Catwalk competition in 2016, before going on to showcase his graduate collection at Fashion Scout at LFW in 2017, not to mention apprenticeships with Future Laboratory, Edeline Lee and Zandra Rhodes. It’s no wonder his graduate collectioncaught the eye of industry professionals — it was a gold-hued masterclass in vibrant textiles, ablaze with colour and irresistible haptic detailing. Interestingly, the collection’s shimmering and scorched aesthetic was inspired by his travels to Europe. “In my third year, I made a trip there and I was amazed by all the gold and opulence,” reveals the designer. “I thought what’s going to happen to all of this — this whole idea of decay and impermanence, and how could I incorporate that into my work.”
This tactile sense of impermanence continues in his first major collection: knotty scraps sewn onto dreamy sorbet-sunset tees; a knitted skirt with a hem of flyaway fringing; a spurt of fur growing like a magnificent mould from the shoulder of a patchwork jumper. Wijesekera sees clothes as being more than just items to wear. Instead, for him, clothes “feel” and “breathe”. He is interested in the “physical and emotional element of clothes” and maintains that his design philosophy is to merge the two — a blend that is palpable in the wearability of his designs as well as in their deeply personal use of colour and textile. Process is paramount, and he regards it to be the “most exciting part,” — Wijesekera works directly with local artisans in Sri Lanka, specialising in heirloom weaving and knitting.
The designer considers it to be a “intimate process” working alongside artisanal crafts people. “I go to villages far, far away in the jungle to their houses and in the back of the house they have their little weaving loom, very old school,” explains Wijesekera. “I sit with them. For me, when I look at these artisans, they’re almost used as machines as they always have work to do. I like to involve them as much as possible, because they have so much experience in the craft, whereas I think I bring more of the design knowledge and we can see how we can fuse the two.” For Wijesekera, it’s a collaborative process — “I’m learning, they’re learning, we’re both learning”.
This collaborative factor is evident in Wijesekera’s garments — everything from the attention to detail to the ripe and luscious use of colour, and the amalgamation of textures and fabrics indicate that these are pieces made with beating heart and soul. For his AW19 collection, Wijesekera wanted to show a “trans seasonal” selection of clothing that can be styled in any way — “there’s a mix of statement and more accessible pieces, so I think there’s something for everyone then”. Indeed, there’s a freedom to the Sri Lankan designer’s approach to design that’s refreshing to see unfold. It seems right then that when asked who his ideal customer would be he responds by saying, “Someone who’s creative, well-travelled, very strong and free”.
All photos by Stefan Knauer/Getty Images for MBFW.