03/05/2013
With a Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design awarded by LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore, Amilani is currently employed at MAS Holdings as a designer for the company's own brand, Amanté. Having been at the company for more than three years, Amilani is also reading for her Master of Business Administration, awarded by Prifysgol Cymru University of Wales, UK. It was her MBA that led her to gather the business knowledge and confidence to start her own design fashion label: amilani perera.
Aspiring to start her own business very soon, Amilani applied for the British Council's Young Creative Entrepreneur Design and Fashion Award in 2012 and emerged as a finalist in the competition. Her designs have also been showcased at the Sri Lanka Design Festival fashion show in 2010, 2011, and 2012 under the MAS Intimates segment.
Amilani's work has been recognised outside of Sri Lanka as well. Her collection ‘Marked Memoirs’ by
amilani perera featured on the Swankglossy Magazine Indonesia in 2009. She was also one of the top ten finalists of the Singapore competition, the ‘Denim Deconstruction’ project, which was organised by GAS Jeans and Catalogue Fashion Magazine in 2006. As part of the competition, Amilani had to deconstruct a pair of jeans and reconstruct it to another item of clothes wear. Her product, which was inspired by the Sinhalese letter , was displayed at The Paragon on Orchard Road, Singapore, and was featured in the Catalogue Fashion Magazine that season.
Her aspirations have now become a reality as she successfully launched her own brand amilani perera at Colombo Fashion Week 2013.
Her collection showcased at this year's Colombo Fashion Week was inspired by the Sri
Lankan ‘Makara Thorana’, which is used to reflect the strong yet feminine power in a woman who strives to achieve an equal place in today's world. The colour palette of her work was also inspired by the makara (dragon). The n**e and teal colours symbolise the dragon by the river during the day time and the touch of silver and gold signifies the glorious beast dancing in the moonlight.
Amilani's pieces mostly use natural fibers such as silks and cottons and her work is very tailored and clean cut with intricate cut-work embroidery.