KiO shines as Sri Lanka’s exclusive black and white clothing solution

Nirasha Senanayake 

Q: In a world full of colour, why did KiO go with only black and white?

A: Colour has its own goodness, so does black and white, however none of us seem to focus on the beautiful black and white exhibits. We see many beautiful clothes in vibrant colours, but the need for good black and white clothes go unanswered. Seeing this we decided to be the solution everyone wanted, we wanted to create the ultimate place that a person would turn up when buying any black and white clothing item and right now we operate as the only black and white exclusive online clothing store in Sri Lanka We believe we are on the right track in achieving our dream. 

Q: When was KiO launched and how has the journey been thus far?

A: KiO was launched on 17 December 2015 with a small collection designed by us. Since then this short journey has been exciting and indeed very challenging. We have passed many milestones along the way, learning about the industry and gaining knowledge about many fields that we never thought of getting to know. It has thus far been a wonderful and pleasant experience and definitely something in which we see great potential.

Q: Who is behind the designs?

A: Nirasha Senanayake and her team of designers are behind the designs. We have many designers who help us out by giving ideas about different patterns and trends that we need to watch out for. Nirasha was the person who initiated the exclusive black and white concept and she seemed to know exactly what the customers required, therefore she handpicked the designs and so far our customers seem to be happy. Being a part of the target market helped her out in selecting the trending and most suitable items.

Q: How should customers’ order/explain the process?

A: Being an exclusive online store we thought of many ways of simplifying the payment and delivery process, and decided to select cash on delivery as our payment method as we believe it’s the fastest and most convenient method for our customers.

We simplified the ordering process too by allowing our customers to order via a Facebook message itself. All that the customer has to do is mention the item code along with the size, delivery address, expected date and contact number in the message and we confirm the order then and there. They can also order over the phone.

Q: What can fashion conscious people expect from KiO in the near future?

A: We expect to deliver unique black and white clothing designs, of which the uniqueness is not limited to the fabric alone. We see beautiful clothes coming into the market in colourful fabrics, However the elegance and beauty of the item of clothing gets covered due to the bright colours sometimes, resulting in the beauty of the fabric being displayed and the dress given very less emphasis. We decided to do the opposite in fact, and give more emphasis to the design of the clothes while having the fabric enhance the design rather than distorting it. Into the future we expect to have more of these unique designs in our collections. By limiting the designs in quantity and having only a few of each piece, we hope to maintain the exclusivity of our products.  We also plan to produce accessories and handbags as well as shoes in black and white in the near future to go in line with the clothes we design. 

Q: How frequently are new pieces added?

A: We add to our collection once in every two months. We don’t include individual items in our collection; rather we bring out a set of clothes under a selected theme.

Q: Any plans for an actual store?

A: Yes, experiencing such a positive response for having an online store reassured us the potential an exclusive black and white store has in the current market. Therefore our next step would be to open a store in Colombo and in a few other areas as well.

Modeled by Sanjule Wickramage