Class Missy – stylish and comfortable kaftans

• For women, to empower women
• A clothing brand with a cause

Piumi Naduvila

Dinesh Perera

Kaftans are long tunic-like dresses that are comfortable, chic and super versatile. The kaftan saw resurgence during lockdown for its roomy and functional silhouette. It instantly became a wardrobe staple among Bollywood celebrities like Kareena Kapoor Khan and Malaika Arora, who proudly showed off their picks on social media.

Classy Missy is a local kaftan brand. They offer a collection of timeless pieces focused on durability, comfort, and functionality. Aiming to dress women in charming kaftan’s that are fashionable yet comfortable. Hailing from the Puttalam District, the Co-Founders of Classy Missy are a husband-and-wife duo Dinesh Perera and Piumi Naduvila.

Dinesh is a former pilot, who shares an educational background in Aviation. Piumi completed her higher studies in the USA, during her seven years stay she gained experience in the field of Psychology and Business Leadership. Together they started Classy Missy a year ago along with Piumi’s mother Irine Peiris. They took her mother’s dream and life as an inspiration.

With her interest in sewing and designing, Irine overlooks the garments and is the person behind the outfits coming to life. Classy Missy’s collection is designed in silk material combined with a touch of batik. They highlight bold and bright tropical colours. Offering an all-inclusive size range from small to six XL; they also have a separate maternity size chart for expecting mothers.

They realised a market need for a more inclusive apparel collection that catered to these needs and created Classy Missy with a comprehensive collection of kaftans for every occasion. Whether it is a day at the beach, a visit to the mall, a grand wedding, an evening soiree like a cocktail party or simply a comfortable and stylish option to lounge in, they bring you a range of clothes to choose from.

Each kaftan is specially crafted to cater to ensure an ideal and seamless fit. Regardless of your size and style requirements, their kaftans come in many innovative designs and variations. They choose from a range of luxurious and sustainable fabrics, keeping in mind the latest trends, ensuring you stay on-trend always. They also have an option to create fully customised pieces, where customers can provide the design of their choice.

Since its inception a year ago, Classy Missy has grown from strength to strength.  “Despite the pandemic, we have been doing pretty well. Since we started, we have expanded to open our first store,” Co-Founder Piumi stated. The flagship store is located at Mahawewa and open for customers since July 2021.

Environmentally-friendly practices, fair and ethical production practices are a large part of the brands DNA; this allows them to ensure their staff and team feel a family-like environment. “The objective is simple —through our work, we hope to support underprivileged female households, by giving them work opportunity, resources, skill, and knowledge to help and strengthen their economic and overall empowerment,” Co-Founder, Dinesh stated.

The billowy, loose silhouette is what makes the kaftan so alluring, allowing for ventilation and coverage, while making its wearer look effortlessly stylish. Kaftan design options at Classy Missy are endless—from lengths long to short, fabrics silk to cotton voile and patterns bright to mute. “When it comes to sitting for back-to-back Zoom calls and juggling our at-home responsibilities, we all quickly learned that comfortable wear is the only option. There’s no piece more suitable for work-from-home life than a versatile kaftan,” Piumi added.

The brand’s mission is to create jobs for disadvantaged women. A portion of its profits goes to providing school essentials for low-income children and orphanages in the rural villages of Puttalam District. As of today, they have successfully donated more than 300 individual school packs.