SUSTAINABLY YOURS

The tiny island nation of Sri Lanka is leading Southeast Asia’s sustainable tourism movement, with a dynamic bunch of local entrepreneurs spearheading change.

- RIAAN JACOB GEORGE

THE CAPITAL CITY

ONE BALMY AFTERNOON in downtown Colombo, I catch up with Natalie Pendigrast, interior designer turned entrepreneur whose store, Pendi (pendi.lk), can give anyone major design goals. In this beautiful sunlit space, Pendigrast curates an exquisite collection from Sri Lanka’s trendiest sustainable brands and artists. “There is so much interesting work going on in terms of sustainable creativity in Sri Lanka. I wanted to use my store to give a platform to these local brands. Everything here is made in Sri Lanka,” she explains.

That afternoon at Pendi, I hang with the who’s who of the creative community. Nihara Fernando runs Botanic Hues (narni.studio/botanichues), which uses flowers, leaves, turmeric, and other natural resources to dye fabrics, while Kanil Dias’s initiative, Geo Blox, makes lifestyle products out of concrete— personalised souvenirs and objets d’art. Similarly, artist Dhanushka Wickramaratne of Cane Couture (canecouture.lk) works with rural communities and local artists to create a range of super-chic cane bags, while Xýlo (shopxylo.com) is an eco-friendly brand that specialises in cork placemats and coasters as well as bowls, chopping boards, and spoons made from discarded wood. “Rather than buying a factory-minted souvenir, the sustainable movement is real in Sri Lanka, where tourists can directly participate,” Pendigrast tells me.