The ‘Flower Boy’ who didn’t shy away from blossoming
Even in his earliest memories, Amesh Wijesekera was always the ‘arts and crafts kid’. From painting, playing dress up and setting up his own puppet shows, to expressing his creativity through art, dance and later theatre in school — design and creativity surrounded him, encouraged by his mother and unhindered by the rigid societal expectations for boys.
He would even help his mother, an interior designer, with choosing colours, materials and objects for her projects, and could never understand the appeal of the corporate world his dad worked in. His first taste of fashion also came from his mother, when he used to help her dress up for events. Helping to drape a saree and pick the right shoe - Amesh knew this was where he belonged. This was his happy place.
Soon after completing his A/Ls at S. Thomas’ College, he joined the Academy of Design in Colombo (AOD) in 2015 - a lifechanging difference from a traditional school environment. It was his grandmother who registered his name for one of their open days, and it was where he spent three and a half years getting his formal training in design and a valuable introduction to the craft and industry.
His star rose fast from there, when his BA collection took him to London and won him the International Designer Award at the Graduate Fashion Week 2016 there. He then landed multiple apprenticeships and projects for renowned international designers like Edeline Lee and Zandra Rhodes. This enabled him to work on and finally launch his own brand AMESH at Berlin Fashion Week last year; he continues to showcase his work at various international fashion events like the International Fashion Showcase at London Fashion Week.
Amesh feels blessed to have the opportunities to not just further his career, but to share his vision of Sri Lanka with a global audience. His brand’s tagline ‘A handcrafted story from Sri Lanka’ says it all, as he aims to share the hidden talents of Sri Lanka’s contemporary design with a world that isn’t yet aware of it. This unique vision has earned him global recognition and acclaim, and seen him featured in reputed media outlets like Vogue Italia and CNN.
Amesh admits that being in London amongst the best of the best in fashion design is “intimidating and competitive”, and that it was quite a challenge to understand the western market in terms of identifying the gap in competition and pricing. Ultimately though, he is confident that his work stands out for its colour, narrative and localism.
“This was when I wanted to go back to my roots and celebrate what we have and something we can be proud of,” Amesh tells us. “The challenge was to portray this story with a new narrative. Something more fresh and relevant to what’s happening today.”
The heart and soul of the brand is the sense of community and craftsmanship, sharing the story of Sri Lanka in every aspect right down to the colours and textures. Every textile and piece from the AMESH brand is handmade, and Amesh works closely with a local manufacturer and local artisans in craft communities around Sri Lanka including hand weaving, hand knitting and crochet. Amesh himself handmakes prints in his back garden.
Every piece by AMESH is created using sustainable, ethically sourced materials and eco-friendly manufacturing processes - all proudly made in Sri Lanka. From the handloom textiles reimagined with contemporary patterns and exotic colour combinations to the creative use of dead stock and excess/ waste material from the local apparel manufacture industry — it is an intimate collaboration of heritage craftsmanship and contemporary design knowledge.
“For me it has always been about being resourceful, maximising and utilising everything that is already existing locally around us in new creative ways,” Amesh says.
His own cross-cultural experiences of living between London, Berlin and Sri Lanka add to the vibrant identity of his work, while also opening up conversations on the journey towards sustainability, gender, South Asian culture and beauty.
Breaking down societal molds and toxic gender stereotypes is simply an extension of who Amesh is: someone who never understood “why blue meant boy” and “pink was for girls” or why the men’s sections in department stores were so boring and beige while women had every colour, pattern, sparkle and silhouette to choose from.
“I wanted to give space for the wearer to give life and personality and make it their own while being confident and true to who they are.”
In this sense, even the models for his brand aren’t the (stereo) typical industry standards. In fact, they are all his own family, friends, or friends of friends, with most having no experience in modelling at all. A key message of the brand is to celebrate and reimagine South Asian beauty, which has historically been plagued by colourism and unrealistic Western standards. While his international exposure helped him overcome his own insecurities, Amesh hopes to
inspire those facing similar struggles and tell diverse stories through his campaigns and collections.
His latest collection ‘Flower Boys’ is a perfect culmination of everything AMESH stands for, rooted in his journey towards finding himself and his own personal struggles as a young queer-identifying South Asian living between two worlds. ‘Flower boy’ is a term he used to describe his inner child, fighting against the societal constructs that restrict creativity and going against the rules.
“Children are all flowers but adulthood strips those petals till they no longer blossom. I for one held on to mine, they were a part of me, and even though many a time my petals were asked to get rid of and sometimes even damaged, they stayed on.”
As Amesh describes it, the collection blends soft masculinity with a bleeding colour palette of mint, pastel pink, fuchsia, duck egg, tangerine and golden textures. Statement jackets and sharp tailoring are paired with lighter textiles for movement alongside hand-printed faded floral patterns typical to the Sri Lankan tablecloth and doily. Delicate hand-knitted metallic vests create a layering effect alongside the printed over-shirts with golden fringe details found in local markets.
Exciting things are on the horizon for Amesh who recently turned 27. He just launched the new collection in London, with a new capsule collection in design stage. The brand currently has two stockists in India and Europe, and Amesh hopes to expand that list to reach their growing international audience and share their ‘handcrafted story of Sri Lanka’ with the world.