Sita Hapuarachchi stepped into the world of garment manufacturing at a time when men were holding sway. Her tenacious approach to business saw her emerge as a successful award winning entrepreneur of her time.
Words: Tina Edward Gunawardhana and Tiranya Yalindee Ranasinghe
In an era where male dominance stretched across every industry in Sri Lanka, one woman embarked on a journey which would see her end up at the top of her chosen line. The inimitable Sita Hapuarachchi is credited as the iron woman who stepped into the fledgling garment industry of the 70s and became one of the most successful female entrepreneurs of her time. Enjoying retirement with her daughter Amrita and grandson Mahasen, Sita has handed over the reins of her business to Amrita but keeps a watchful eye from the sidelines. Spending an afternoon with her reminiscing about her long journey in the garment industry where she stood tall amongst the other giants at the time, Sita’s story as a female entrepreneur and a single mum who embarked on a journey to empower financially disadvantaged women by providing them with a livelihood bears all the hallmarks of a sustainable enterprise long before sustainability came into vogue.
Hailing from a small hamlet called Weediyagoda in Bandaragama Sita attended Museas College and Buddhist Ladies College before heading off to the University of Peradeniya where she read for a Honours degree in Geography. Soon after leaving university, like most females of her generation Sita returned home and embarked on a career in teaching.
However, that was shortlived when she saw the women in her village eking out a living under extremely harsh conditions. As a woman herself Sita felt empathy towards the womenfolk in her village and decided she needed to do something to better their lives. Sita also had a love for clothing and had been in the habit of making her own clothes. It was then that she had her eureka moment and decided to combine her love for clothing with her desire to alleviate the living conditions of the women in her village and decided to start a small production centre to create clothing. In an era of austerity where privation was the order of the day, Sita like countless others had limited access to imported fabrics and accessories.
