For Chamini Jayawardena, fashion has never been a distant aspiration. It has been a constant presence, woven through geography, education, and lived experience. Originally from Sri Lanka, she moved to the UK in 2016 to pursue a master’s degree in fashion, drawn by the energy, openness, and creative possibilities she found there. What followed was over a decade immersed in the industry, spanning fast fashion, styling, e-commerce, and brand development.
She worked with well-known names, collaborated with homegrown designers, and built a career that many would consider established. Yet beneath it all, something felt unresolved.
“I loved fashion,” she says. “But I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the impact it was having.”
That tension, between beauty and consequence, became the catalyst for InFlair, her sustainable womenswear brand rooted in the idea that ethical fashion does not need to compromise on desirability.
Making sustainability feel desirable
Chamini does not speak about sustainability as a trend or a talking point. For her, it is foundational. But she is equally clear that sustainability alone is not enough.
“I wanted to create something that was cool, sexy, and exciting,” she explains. “Something you genuinely want to wear.”
Her vision was simple, though not easy to execute. To design pieces that feel contemporary and emotionally compelling, while ensuring they are made responsibly, priced accessibly, and built to last. She was particularly focused on women in their mid-twenties to early thirties, though the brand’s appeal has since expanded far beyond that.
InFlair is not about disposable fashion or fleeting nights out. It is about clothes that earn their place in a wardrobe, pieces that can move seamlessly from occasion to occasion, year after year.
“Whenever I make a sample, I always like to get one made in my size,” she states. “I know it's not something we do in the industry, but personally, once the sample is done, I would take it [and] do one in my size. I want to spend the whole day in it and know how I feel; or anything the customer might not like.”
What timeless really means
Timelessness, for Chamini, is not neutrality. It is not about playing it safe or removing personality. It is about resisting expiration.
“A timeless piece is something you can buy today and still feel excited to wear in five years,” she says.
One of the brand’s most recognisable designs, an Ivory Pleated Maxi Skirt, was initially imagined as a holiday staple. Lightweight, fluid, and made from wood pulp fabric, it has since been worn to weddings, rehearsal dinners, and celebrations of all kinds.
“That’s when you know something has longevity,” she reflects. “When it adapts to the wearer’s life, not the other way around.”
Quality, she adds, is inseparable from this idea. From fabric selection to construction, every detail is considered with durability in mind.
Seeing the whole picture
Chamini’s commitment to ethical production goes beyond surface-level assurances. InFlair operates with an unusual level of transparency, largely because she insists on seeing every stage of the process herself.
While designing from the UK, she manufactures in Sri Lanka, where she owns and operates the production facility alongside a close-knit team of tailors and pattern makers. There are no third parties obscuring responsibility. Fabrics are recycled. Dyes are plant-based, using materials such as dried hibiscus, coffee grounds, and beans. The techniques draw on Sri Lanka’s long-standing tradition of non-toxic dyeing.
“I know how everything is made, from start to finish,” she says. “That matters to me.”
Even packaging has been meticulously thought through. Acid-free tissue paper, recycled materials, and plantable tags that are climate-appropriate depending on where the customer lives. These details are not decorative. They are deliberate.
The quiet challenge of comparison
When asked about the realities of being a female founder, Chamini does not point to external barriers first. Instead, she speaks about something more internal.
“Comparison,” she says. “Waking up and wondering if what you’re doing is enough.”
It is a feeling she believes is almost universal among women, regardless of scale or success. The constant pressure to do more, be more, move faster. She has learned to recognise it without letting it dictate her decisions.
“That voice doesn’t disappear,” she admits. “But you learn not to let it stop you.”
Learning where to place the weight
In the early stages, Chamini poured most of her resources into product development. Sampling, testing, refining fabrics, and ensuring every element aligned with her values. By the time InFlair launched in December 2022, after nearly a year of development, the product was strong.
What she underestimated was marketing.
“I didn’t allocate enough budget to put the product in front of people,” she reflects. “If I were to start again, I would split my focus more evenly.”
It is advice she now shares openly, not as regret, but as realism. Even the most considered product needs visibility.
How she wants women to feel
Ultimately, the measure of InFlair’s success is not found in metrics alone. It is in moments of transformation, both subtle and significant.
During early fit testing, friends who described the pieces as outside their usual style tried them on anyway. The response surprised her.
“They said they felt amazing,” she recalls. “One of them told me she felt famous.”
That reaction has since been echoed by customers around the world. Women wearing InFlair to holidays, weddings, and milestone events, feeling confident, powerful, and entirely themselves.
That feeling is intentional. Chamini designs by imagining the best version of herself, the version that feels grounded, assured, and expressive. She wants her customers to feel the same.
Advice for women building with purpose
For women who want to start a brand rooted in meaning but feel overwhelmed by where to begin, Chamini’s advice is practical and compassionate.
“Execution matters,” she says. “You can have the best idea in the world, but you need to start with what you have.”
She encourages clarity, small plans, and realistic expectations. Not every launch is instant. Not every success is visible online. Progress often happens quietly.
“Cut out the noise,” she says. “Focus on your vision, your resources, your capacity.”
Listening to instinct
If she could speak to herself at the very beginning, before InFlair existed beyond an idea, her advice would be simple.
“Listen to your gut,” she says.
The idea for the brand had lived with her for years, long before she moved countries or launched a business. It took a moment of homesickness, emotional rupture, and creative urgency for her to finally act on it.
“I’m so glad I did,” she says. “Otherwise, I might still be sitting on it.”
In a fashion industry often defined by speed and excess, Chamini Jayawardena represents a different kind of founder. One who builds slowly, thoughtfully, and with intention. One who understands that true style is not just about how something looks, but how it endures.
To learn more about Chamini and the InFlair brand, head to: www.in-flair.com
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