The Aus-Lanka Business Council Inc. in Melbourne proudly introduces
Nishika de Rosairo, A Young Entrepreneur of Sri Lankan heritage, based in the U.S.
Zambian born Nishika de Rosairo, who spent six years of her life in Sri Lanka attending Ladies College and then later Stafford International School, moved on to spend her teenage and university years growing up in New Zealand, before moving to the U.S. 11 years ago to pursue her MBA.
Born to expatriate Sri Lankan parents, she spent her whole life travelling the world and just a few weeks ago grabbed the opportunity of returning to Melbourne after delivering her graduation speech for the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the University that I attended would invite me back to deliver the graduation address to their 2016 class of graduates. I am so deeply honoured.”
Nishika’s 4-day stopover in Melbourne saw a glamorous, curated dE ROSAIRO ‘Style Lab’ on the 67th floor Sky Lounge at the Prima Pearl Apartments in the heart of the CBD. Drawing an intimate group of 40 people, invited and hosted by Sri Lankan Stylist Nowman Kareem, the event showcased her new designs, over wine and cheese, and an opportunity to chat with Nishika herself. She engaged in a storytelling segment with Rita D’Souza, an award winning interior designer based in Melbourne, with whom she shared the story behind her eponymous brand dE ROSAIRO.
Can you tell us a little about your background and how you came to own a womenswear clothing brand?
I studied business; in fact, I have three degrees in business, and I spent 10 years working in Fortune 500 and Silicon Valley companies in the U.S. shortly after I graduated. Deloitte Consulting sponsored me from Auckland to Seattle, and I spent the next decade working as a Strategic Advisor to companies such as Apple, Cisco, Salesforce, Levi, Chevron, and many of the world largest corporate giants.
As much as I loved my career in the business world, I always knew that one day I would be an entrepreneur. Innovative minds such as Richard Branson and Anthony Robbins were the movers and shakers I was reading about when I was 15, and I knew my life was going to one day evolve into something bigger than just working for someone else.
That day arrived, and I decided to go back to a childhood dream I once had of launching a womenswear clothing brand. Equipped with zero fashion industry experience, I gave myself 10 months to learn the industry, build the business, hire a team, and design my first collection. At the end of those 10 months, I left my last corporate job at Salesforce, and launched full time into dE ROSAIRO. This was in February 2014.
I understand dE ROSAIRO is built on the concept of ‘Look Feel Lead’. What does it mean?
dE ROSAIRO is built on the premise of ‘Look Feel Lead’ which translates into: how you Look, is how you Feel, is how you Lead. I am very interested in the psychology of clothing and how clothes can shape a mental or emotional state of mind. This is evident every time each of us wakes up and selects what we will wear and how we want the world to respond to us based on our clothing choices.
Where do you make your clothes and why?
We make all of our clothes in New York and San Francisco, because I don’t want to be a brand that ignores who makes my designs and under what work conditions. I want to be able to drop into my factories whenever I want and see the real working conditions that my seamstresses are under. I also believe it is important to support our local economy. If it means reducing our margins a little, just so we have an opportunity to employ our local community, then that is the price is takes to conduct good business. I built dE ROSAIRO on a dream of empowering the world to be a better place, and it is therefore much bigger in vision than the extra dollars we would add to our margins if we manufactured offshore.
I know dE ROSAIRO supports and works with women in human trafficking, can you tell us what you do, and why human trafficking?
As dE ROSAIRO we pride ourselves on being a social enterprise aimed at supporting women from all walks of life. So basically, we not only have an opportunity to empower the modern woman through the clothes she wears, but also to employ women in manufacturing in New York and San Francisco, and additionally work with women survivors of human trafficking.
We support women survivors of human trafficking by donating clothes and money from sales, and also by teaching them to reframe the way they think about the ‘Look Feel Lead’ aspect of their lives. This is very fitting to the psychology of clothing I mentioned before, because when you’re a woman who is working a street corner and dressed in a certain manner, how you view yourself, and how that affects your whole life is extremely devastating and sad. When you have an opportunity to take this woman off the street and you spend the time re-conditioning her heart and mind, and as a final touch you add in the right mix of clothes, the confidence of the woman has the ability to evolve, as does her self-worth, and many other aspects that allow this woman to then reclaim her life.
What about dE ROSAIRO makes you proud?
My goal from day one has been to include women from all walks of life in dE ROSAIRO, and we do, because we dress women executives and entrepreneurs, we employ women who work in factories, and we support those who have been forced to sell their bodies. The combination of these three very different categories of women being integrated into the dE ROSAIRO brand is what makes me proud.
Who is the dE ROSAIRO woman?
The dE ROSAIRO woman who wears our designs is a discerning woman who believes in everyday luxury and wants to transition easily from ‘Desk 2 Dusk’. She is confident, powerful, and wants to be the first to discover cool, new things. She is an ethical consumer, and cares about where her clothes are made and how they are made. And, most importantly, she believes that ‘less is more’ both for the sake of wearing quality and also because she cares about the environmental implications when we make poor consumer decisions.
Where is dE ROSAIRO sold?
We are sold in specialty boutiques in the U.S. and through what we have designed and call ‘Style Labs’; curated intimate shopping experiences that involve wine and cheese, storytelling, and an opportunity to engage with myself. We also ship all over the world through our online store www.dEROSAIRO.com
What key principles did you share in your graduation speech to the University of Auckland?
I offered three key principles of life that I believe are important to anyone looking to succeed:
• The word ‘no’ means: convince me further
Just because someone says no to you, it doesn’t necessarily mean no. What they are really saying is, “I challenge you to convince me further” – so game on, convince them further.
• Be a respectful rebel and follow your passion
Following the status quo and what others expect of you is just boring. It equates to an equally boring life. Disagree with a few people, break a few rules, and challenge the world around you (respectfully, of course).
• Be a launch pad for someone else by giving back
It doesn’t matter how you dissect the meaning of life, the bottom line is that it always comes back full circle. Ask yourself: “Who can I be a launch pad for? Whose life can I significantly impact? And how?”
Nishika de Rosairo’s designs can be found on the following links:
Website: www.dEROSAIRO.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/dEROSAIRO
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dEROSAIRO
Interview by: Rita D’Souza, Melbourne
Media Partner: Dilkie Perera, President Aus-Lanka Business Council, Melbourne
https://www.facebook.com/Aus-Lanka-Business-Council
Contributed by: Marie Pietersz, Melbourne
