The tradition of the loom is one that has been passed on by generations of Sri Lankans. Today the industry faces decline due to various reasons ranging from the lack of skilled expertise, uncompetitive market prices, outdated designs and lack of infrastructure and technology. However, we at Selyn take on this challenge to revive our heritage in order to extend its benefits to our rural women and men. Our dye house gives you all the colors of the rainbow and at our handloom workshops we weave a myriad of fabrics which becomes home textiles, garments and toys. Through the entire process of this color and design, we strive to be socially and environmentally responsible and aim to extend our greatest support to improving the livelihood of our members.

Its time to meet some of the Selyn Family!

            Subha at the sample section                                     Simon at the dye workshop

            Nanda Kumara spinning yarn                                      Gamini at the toy factory

    Fathima and Wasantha at the toy factory                     Karuna at the handloom workshop

                 Asha in the toy factory                                         Samantha in Kumbukgette

    Hassan originally a master weaver from                           Renuka in the toy factory       

     the east of Sri Lanka in Wanduragala

Founded in 1991 as a sole proprietorship by Sandra Wanduragala, Selyn started its work with 15 women in the village of Wanduragala in Kurunegala in the North Western Province of Sri Lanka. Joined shortly thereafter by her brother, Hilary Wanduragala, Selyn now has over 1000 beneficiaries. 

Our Vision is to grow based on the principles of Fair Trade in order to retain our market leadership while uplifting the living standards of rural women and men by providing them with sustainable employment and keeping alive the local tradition of handloom fabrics.

Rainbow happy sits Herbie the Hedgehog in his brand new shelf beside the book cupboard in the pretty city of Bolzano. He has come a long way from the distant Island of Sri Lanka, passing through the many loving hands of the Selyn artisans. Now we share with you Herbie's story.

After the dyeing and weaving process at the Selyn dye house and the handlooms workshops, the colorful fabric comes to the Selyn toy factory.

Michael Jackson and team works their magic and lo and behold, the cloth has been cut into shapes. The shapes are sewn together and Herbie is on his way to be complete!

Herbie is then stuffed with Polyfill (or Kapok of your choice) and is finally ready to be assembled!

The sewing team in action! Legs, belly, head and quills - CHECK! Dont forget his tiny tail!!

...and now he only needs his bright eyes and his mischievous smile...

Perfection! We must check for wayward errors, pins and all things alien and Herbie is ready to come to you! Ciao Herbie! We hope you will love him as much as we do!

Selyn delivers striikingly beautiful hand made products to Sri Lanka and the world!

EXPORT

The weaving centers and toy factory in Kurunegala export to several dozen international customers around the world.  From Japan and Australia in the East, down to the Maldives, across Europe, and over to the USA, Selyn has satisfied customers.  Approximately half of the exports are of the customers' own design which Selyn produces under an exclusivitiy arrangement, while the other half of sales are from Selyn's in-house collection.  These in-house products are created by an international designer.

AT HOME

Selyn has two beautiful showrooms at home in Sri Lanka, one in the heart of bustling Colombo and the other in the company's home town of Kurunegala.  In both of these, busy Sri Lankan ladies as well as decerning tourists pick up their wedding presents, souvenirs, and perhaps a small something for themselves!

77 Isipathana Mawatha, Colombo 5	Colombo Road, Wanduragala, Kurunegala

Selyn believes in 'teaching people how to fish' and therefore we invest in our members so that they may stand on their own feet. The success of Selyn has been built on its ability to be independent and innovative and we strive to empower those within our organization to do the same. Here you will meet some of those that Selyn has been fortunate enough to meet along the way.

Sri Lanka, just off the southeastern tip of India, has long been a place for families from around the world to come and enjoy their holidays. The sunny pristine beaches that ring the country are perfect for rest and relaxation, and watching the local fishermen drag their nets to shore in the sunset. The country has also had booming export industries within the wooden toy, coconut product, and garment production sectors. However nearly three decades of conflict in the north east of the country has placed great strain on both the tourism and export sectors, not forgetting the negative effect this has had on the relations between national ethnic groups and the immense human suffering that is still ongoing today.  Even those not directly in the conflict zone suffered, through lost jobs and lost educational opportunities for their children as their incomes dwindled.

The tsunami of 2004 still leaves its scars in the coastal areas both north and south.

Compounding the difficulties is the international financial crisis, which has a deep impact on Sri Lanka.  In Selyn's hometown of Kurunegala alone, seven of eight garment factories that existed in mid 2008 have closed their doors.  Selyn itself has seen a marked decline in export orders.

And all of this in a country where the brilliant emerald green of a rice paddy field in the morning sun would thrill the most jaded of tourists.  The ease of the Sri Lankan smile to a stranger on the street charms every time.  The richness of the handicraft and foodstuff traditions, be it in baskets, wood, spices, coconut, or the vibratiouis fabrics that Selyn produces, surely makes the basis for an excellent choice of a holiday destination, or perhaps a business deal over a cup of lucious green tea?

While the polticians make grand statements and grand gestures, you can take direct action.  Come, buy, order..create a job for a Sri Lankan woman that has no control over the politics that swirl around her.

It is 8 o’clock in the morning and the Selyn handloom workshops in the villages in and around Kurunegala are silent. After the mumbling of morning prayers, the crackling sounds of the looms fills the air and the weavers begin their art. Colorful handwoven fabrics galore but todays story is about the Sari, the traditional drape for most South Asian women. To tell you a bit about the Sari, we need to take you back to Indus Valley Civilization around 2800-1800 BC, where the word 'sari' is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word 'sati', which means strip of cloth. The sari is the national costume for women in Sri Lanka and is draped in many styles, the Indian (Nivi) and the Kandyan (Osaria) styles being the most popular. Elegant and respectable, the sari is worn for various occasoins ranging from weddings and work to informal everyday wear.  

The life of the sari first begins with the dyeing of 100% cotton yarn into vibrant colors only limited by your imagination. After a 36-hour process of boiling, coloring, washing and drying, the colored yarn is ready for the weaving process.

First, the yarn is thoroughly washed, boiled and rinsed and put into the dying machines...

..then, the color recipe is mixed. All dyes used are AZO free and certified as eco-friendly.

The yarn bundles are spun around in the dye bath in order to get an even coloring and...

...the dyed yarn is then spun in a centrifuge to get rid of moisture and hung in a heat room for approx. 24 hours for complete drying.

The finished yarn is ready to go!!

The journey of the sari takes us next to the handloom workshops where the dyed yarn is woven by our masters artisans into saris.

First the yarn is spun into bobbins...

.....that is then used to create the warp, which dictates the design of the sari.

This warp is transferred to the weaver who threads, looms and then weaves according to the design.

The finished product!

This entire process takes up to 48 hours depending on the design of the sari and on a human side it touches the lives of many. In this respect, The 'Wear Sri Lankan' campaign at Selyn is aimed at promoting the use of Sri Lankan handloom garments; especially saris. Through this campaign we hope to connect the artisan to the consumer and most importantly we wish to pay tribute to the hands behind the loom.