As Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week 2025 approaches, attention turns toward one of Sri Lanka’s most distinctive creative voices, Nawodha Bandara, the designer behind NAO. Her work stands out for its emotion-driven philosophy and her belief that fashion should reflect truth rather than perfection. This year, she returns to the runway with a collection that celebrates imperfection as beauty, finding grace in what is unrefined and poetry in the unexpected. A graduate of AOD’s BA (Hons) Fashion and Textile Design programme, Bandara has built a reputation that extends beyond Sri Lanka. Her creations have appeared on international platforms including the Redress Design Awards and Dubai Fashion Week, where her collection No Rules Like Dreams earned the International Portfolio Award. Yet her newest work feels different. It is stripped back, deeply personal, and grounded in the raw and chaotic beauty of Sri Lanka itself. It is less about spectacle and more about sincerity, turning fashion into a living conversation between hand, fabric, and feeling. In this pre–Fashion Week conversation, Nawodha Bandara speaks about her creative process, her evolving relationship with imperfection, and the harmony that arises when art, emotion, and sustainability meet.
1. Nawodha, what story or emotion are you hoping to communicate through MBFW 2025?
This collection is a mirror of who I am: messy, emotional, curious, and unafraid of imperfection. I have always found beauty in mistakes. When I create, I let things happen. Dyes spill, stitches go uneven, colours bleed, and I do not fix them. I let them breathe because those moments carry truth and emotion that perfection never can. I grew up surrounded by the everyday beauty of Sri Lanka, the rhythm of the markets, the laughter, the colour, the chaos, and the kindness. Life here is never perfect, and that is what makes it so alive. Through this collection, I try to capture that spirit, the joy in our daily lives, the imperfections that make us human, and the small mistakes that somehow turn into something beautiful. This story is for everyone who has ever felt messy or imperfect, for anyone who has tried, failed, and tried again, and still found light in the process. NAO at MBFW 2025 celebrates honesty, the courage to embrace chaos, the beauty of imperfection, and the joy of being imperfectly alive.
2. How does this collection reflect the evolution of your signature design language since “No Rules Like Dreams”?
Since No Rules Like Dreams, my work has always leaned toward the artistic. I have never been able to separate fashion from art. Every collection I have done has been about expression, emotion, and storytelling, more like wearable art than traditional clothing. I want people to feel something, not just see something. This time, my approach is different. I wanted to create something that still carries that artistic soul but also connects on a more personal and universal level. Something that feels like me but also like everyone else. This collection explores that balance, creative yet grounded, artistic yet relatable. It is a fusion of artistry and wearability where imperfections are embraced rather than hidden. It is about finding beauty where high-concept art meets real life, where something raw, handmade, and imperfect can still feel powerful, modern, and alive. This evolution feels true to who I am now. I am still the dreamer and the artist, but I am learning to bridge art with reality, emotion with practicality, and individuality with universality.
3. Could you give us a sneak peek into the materials or techniques that make this collection unique?
Every piece has been made entirely by my own hands from start to finish. I explored upcycling, transforming discarded materials into something new and meaningful. I also incorporated handloom, which I wove myself. It is one of my favourite crafts, personal and meditative in its rhythm and texture. For the first time, I experimented with batik. It is completely new territory for me, and this collection marks my very first batik pieces made by my own hands. That makes it even more special. It is full of firsts, full of learning, and full of love. Each technique carries a part of me, my curiosity, my stubbornness, and my imperfections. Together they create something raw, authentic, and truly mine.
4. How do you translate conceptual ideas into wearable pieces while maintaining both aesthetic appeal and functionality?
It is all about mastering balance. Choosing the right fabrics, understanding silhouettes, and designing pieces that carry meaning while remaining wearable. I have always been drawn to conceptual fashion, but this time I challenged myself to merge my artistic side with functionality.
It was not easy. I changed my collection several times until I found that sweet spot between creativity and practicality. I had incredible support from my lecturers, who still guide me even years after graduating. That mentorship means the world to me. Simplicity does not satisfy me. I crave depth and storytelling. But I have learned that art and wearability can coexist beautifully. This collection is the result, conceptual artistry blended with real-life functionality, where every piece feels expressive yet effortless to wear. It taught me that fashion does not have to choose between imagination and purpose. It can be both.
5. Have you experimented with any new techniques, fabrics, or forms that are a first for you?
Yes. This collection marks my first time working with batik, and it has been such a personal journey. My curiosity took me down south, searching for artisans who still keep this craft alive. I wanted to understand not just how batik looks but how wax, fabric, and dye come together. I asked endless questions, watched, listened, and tried it all myself. I even burnt my hands a few times, but I loved every bit of it. Some trials went wrong. Wax cracked, colours faded, designs vanished, but I never tried to perfect it. I just kept exploring. I fell in love with the unpredictability of it, how something so traditional could feel so experimental and raw. Each piece holds the memory of that journey, the heat, the mistakes, the learning, and the pure joy of creating something beautifully imperfect.
6. Sustainability has been a hallmark of your work. How have you integrated eco-conscious practices into this collection?
Sustainability has always been at the heart of what I do, not just as a design choice but as a way of life. For this collection, I wanted to take that commitment deeper, ensuring every part reflected care for the planet, people, and craft. Almost everything here is upcycled or handmade. I worked with leftover fabrics, transforming what would have been waste into something meaningful. I used handloom pieces I wove myself with natural yarns, giving new life to threads that tell a story of time and patience. Even the batik work follows a mindful process. I reused wax, experimented with dye baths, and minimized waste. I wanted to create consciously rather than simply label it sustainable.
For me, sustainability is not about perfection but about awareness and intention. True beauty lies in what we preserve, not what we discard. This collection reflects that belief, thoughtful, emotional, and imperfectly sustainable. To me, sustainability does not limit creativity. It challenges it. It pushes you to think deeper, design smarter, and find beauty in what already exists.
7. You have been recognized at prestigious international platforms such as the Redress Design Awards and Dubai Fashion Week. How have these accolades influenced your growth as a designer?
Those experiences changed everything for me, not just in my career but in how I see design itself. Being part of those platforms opened my eyes to the global conversation around fashion, sustainability, and innovation. I learned how powerful design becomes when driven by purpose. Meeting so many incredible international designers inspired me deeply. Everyone had their own way of storytelling through culture, materials, and emotion. It made me reflect on my own roots and what I wanted to say through my work. I realized that sustainability and creativity are not trends. They are responsibilities and opportunities to create meaning. Those experiences taught me to be fearless yet intentional and to represent Sri Lanka with authenticity and pride.
8. Are there social or cultural narratives embedded in this collection that you are particularly proud to showcase internationally?
Absolutely. This collection is deeply rooted in my Sri Lankan identity. Everything I create is connected to where I come from, the colours, the energy, the imperfections, and the warmth of our people. I wanted to show the world the real Sri Lanka, joyful in its imperfection, handmade, emotional, and human. Every piece carries that story, from handloom I wove myself to batik inspired by southern artisans to upcycled elements reflecting our instinct to reuse and rebuild. It is also about showing that sustainability and tradition are not opposites. They have always existed in our culture. This collection is my love letter to Sri Lanka, to our people, our mistakes, our joy, and our art.
10. How do you see Sri Lankan fashion contributing to the global conversation on sustainable and ethical fashion?
Sri Lanka has a rich heritage of craftsmanship and slow processes, things the world is beginning to value again. For us, sustainability is not a trend. It is embedded in our culture. From handloom to batik, from reusing materials to valuing every scrap, mindfulness has always defined our making. Sri Lankan fashion can bring authenticity and heart to the global conversation. Every piece carries a human touch and a lineage of skill passed down through generations. Our role as designers is to protect and modernize those values, merging heritage with innovation. That is where Sri Lanka shines, in its honesty, resilience, and artistry that speaks softly but powerfully to the world.
11. As someone who has navigated both local and international fashion arenas, what advice would you give emerging designers aiming for global recognition?
Be bold. Be unapologetically you. What you create must matter to you first. That is where your power begins. Do not chase trends or others’ ideas of success. Trust your instincts, even when things feel uncertain. The world connects most with honesty. People remember designs that carry emotion and truth. Do not be afraid to take risks or make mistakes. That is what makes your work human. Every failure teaches you something new, and every piece adds to your story. Keep learning and keep creating from that raw, fearless part of yourself. That is how your voice will be heard across the world.
