Kanchana Talpawila, Course Director of A School of Fashion Studies (Pvt) Ltd., is a creative albeit pasionate lady who has a genuine love for fashion which is similar to her flare for teaching. An introduction to pattern making conducted by Kanchana is definetely a cut above the rest ( excuse the pun) as she gives of her utmost to the 10 students she teaches at a time. The studio itself consists of ten sewing machines, ten’ top quality stands from England, ‘which gives the student ample privacy and time to for practical training,’ added Kanchana, who is privy to the needs and suggestions of her students. The course duration is 10 weeks, consisting of 20 classes. During the course, students are allowed to create their own designs which are ultimately assesed.

‘Well, I believe that each student deserves a proper training and individual attention and usage of machines and stands should be available to each person at any given time, I have seen classes at certain private institutions being held for 30-40 students with 2 machines and it is not practical. I am able to accommodate and teach 10 students during a course and the students are sure to benefit from it. In addition to gaining the technical knowledge and freedom the students obtain a vast amount of experience and confidence.’

The space and facilities granted at her school maximize the talents of potential fashion designers. Kanchana paves the way for students to make suggestions and individual expressions further enabling each person to take advantage of the space, in terms of creativity. She does not believe in restricting as pattern making and fashion are individualistic expressions which can be moulded or sharpened through proper training, and the previous batch of students have remarked on the excellence of the course and commended Kanchan’s teaching ability.

Kanchana has a wealth of experience and expertise in the field of fashion and she attributes her flair for creativity to her parents and her childhood spent in the vicinity of Sigiriya (the rock fortress) ‘My mother used to have many antics and she was very artistic, she used to try alfresco dining long before it was in vogue and I used to scale the rock fortress almost daily which got me interested in the frescoes and drawing,’ In 1990 I won the Pugoda sposored Fashion Designer of the year winning 6 of the 7 categories, thereafter immersing myself in costume designing for films. She has earned a reputation for her maverick designs which literally steal the show working with award winning directors such as Vasantha Obeysekera, Prasanna Vithanage, Bodhi Keerthisena, Vimukthi Jayasundera and many others. In 2004 she had flown to London to follow a BA in Fashion at Central St.Martins and it changed her perspective of fashion, The space and the training provided added impetus to her creativity. Upon her return to SL she was determined to impart the proper training methods to students. Apart from conducting the courses at her school, this dynamic lady lectures at the Moratuwa University.

She is a staunch believer of trail blazer styles, ‘not the copycat but the eclectic style does truly make a difference and catch my eye,’ adds Kanchana with conviction.