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Cutting a diminutive figure, Dhinushika Selvaraj is a medical doctor who has turned her hand to fashion design. Armed with a medical degree from Australia where she practiced as a doctor, Dhinushika decided to return to Sri Lanka to play a part in Sriyani Dress Point, her family business. Since joining the firm as a director, Dhinushika aided with some input by her sister recently launched Khayal, a collection of ethnicwear.

 

What sparked your interest in fashion?

Some of my earliest memories from playing around in our store in Kegalle is seeing all the clothes on neat racks, their colours and seeing people try them on. I think being surrounded by clothing, getting the chance to grow up around apparel manufacturing has always given me an opinion and a direction about the way I dress and how I’d like others to dress.

 

What made you want to make a career out of it?

Honestly, I didn’t. Sometimes life and legacy keeps calling until you answer. At the core of my decision to leave my very successful career, my friends and my life in Sydney was realising that my father’s legacy and achievements must live on. I am so proud to be the second generation that carries on his dream and expands it further as he sits back to enjoy the fruits of his labour.

 

Are you self-taught or did you study fashion?

I think people who study fashion bring so much to the table in our business. Fortunately, I have had the pleasure to learn from those greats. I used to spend my holidays in our factories learning, processing and working in the sample room since I was a kid. There were things I have picked up that have proved to be invaluable at this very moment.

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