Celebrating 19 Buggy years

Fashion Bug, one of Sri Lanka's prominent retail shops celebrated 19 years of successful styles and ventures on June 29 at their Duplication Branch amidst celebrities and fashionistas.

MP Rosy Senanayake, Anarkalli Aakarssha, Sabeetha Perera Jayasinghe, Yolande Aluvihare Holms, Dharshi Keerthisena, Keerthi Sri Karunaratne and Ajay Vir Singh were the chief celebrant guests to light the oil lamp, have a look around the shop and then go ahead in cutting the cake with Fashion Bug management team.

Fashion Bug was founded in 1994 in Bandarawela with a seven member team, the first shop being a mere 500 square feet in Bandarawela town. The brainchild of founders Rizal, Ashan Subian and A C M Thariq, today it has evolved into a household brand that boasts of 17 outlets islandwide. Fashion Bug currently numbers over 1,200 Sri Lankan men and women amongst its staff, who hail from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities; hence they constitute a truly Sri Lankan corporate entity.

An equal opportunity employer, Fashion Bug prides itself on the fact that they invest in their employees, which they believe is a key to their success. Very high on the company's list of priorities is the preservation of racial and ethnic harmony and unity which is evidenced by the fact that all communities and religions work side by side at Fashion Bug's outlets and factories.

"Not just Fashion Bug, but for any business to prosper and go forward we must all act as one united country and as one people; this is the message of our President Mahinda Rajapaksa under whose leadership we overcame a 30 year long civil war", Head of HR Harsha Buddhadasa said.

All outlets currently stock ladies, gents and children's clothing, as well as household linen. Both Eastern as well as Western wear is on sale, while a range of designer saris, kurthis and salwars, together with accessories, handbags, shoes in a range of designs and colours to suit all tastes are available.

Talking of their future plans, Fashion Bug AGM Faraaz Hameed said that their outlets at Colpetty, Rajagiriya and Wattala would be developed as premier outlets in the near future, featuring more customer specific clothing lines.

"In addition to the array of our very own brands, we also feature international brands such as Levis, Crocodile and Giordano in our showrooms."

Fashion Bug opened their 17th branch in Matara in March 2013 marking a significant milestone for Fashion Bug as well as Southern Sri Lanka with them being the first clothing retailer of magnitude to mark its presence in the South.

"During the first quarter of 2013 we experienced considerable growth of consumer confidence in us as a brand as was evidenced in the performance of all branches," Hameed added.

Other than the 1,250 employees who are currently on the payroll, Fashion Bug sustains over 2,000 Sri Lankan men and women via the supplier chain that manufactures their own brands such as Givo, Posh, Hush, Jobbs, Bigg Boss, Rock Star and Bug Junior.

"Some of our suppliers who have been with us since inception have grown from SMEs to large factories side by side with us and we take pride in their success", Chairman Rizal Subian said.