Love, Plate

Love, Plate

- Kinita Shenoy

It’s a steaming hot Colombo afternoon at the swanky new Shangri-La. The horizon bubbles in the background as a peal of hysterical laughter ripples its way across the pool. Christina is lounging on a deck chair, trying to hang on to her fresh thambili as Team Cosmo tries valiantly to stick bulldog clips in her windswept hair, slather super-shiny body gel on her legs, and also make sure her highlighter is glowing up.Unfazed through the long hours of shooting and the searing heat, Christina Peiris is making one thing clear – she’s a professional. For someone who photographs even better than a Lankan sunset, it’s interesting to note that she refuses to be seen as a model. “If anything, I’ll be a brand ambassador, and that too only with brands I support! I’m a designer, a blogger, a Sri Lankan representative – and I’m open to trying new things.” 

We chat a bit about her eponymous clothing brand, X.TINA, which features a designer collection of sleek, minimal silhouettes entwined with batik. Launched in Abu Dhabi about a year ago, it now retails online and is available in Sri Lanka. And the best part? A percentage of the profits go to the Maharagama Cancer Hospital.

This charitable choice is deeply personal to Christina. Having lost close family to cancer, this is how she wants to make a discernible difference, by creating awareness and donating money that pays for medication and other hospital requirements. Both the tragedy of loss and the passion for design have been Christina’s defining childhood influences. With career role models like our fave Spice Girl and fashion empire magnate Victoria Beckham, she’s always been drawn to the world of design.