Embroidered Elephants

“We have learned to adapt and change as the world and situation changes; that’s how we have survived” Malkanthi Bandara recalls when asked about the trajectory of her business. Originally employed as an accountant, which she gave up to become a stay-at-home mother; Malkanthi decided to find a pastime to fill the time she had acquired after her children started going to school. She very quickly turned to starting a business of her own.

After having substantial success in small industry-based competitions in hand embroidery and creating a relationship with the local hotels through which she could display her products, she established herself as a Small Industry by registering herself with the Government in 2012. After a few years of success running ‘Numani Collection’; she now has a diverse product range of jewelry, toys, clothes and bags; that she now exports to Australia, USA and Japan This whole process is done by herself and her 8 employees.

While it did survive the current socio-economic and political crisis of Sri Lanka, with the increasing prices of raw materials, shrinking profit margin and deteriorating quality, Malkanthi still manages to fulfil both her international and local orders. She does this with the help of both her son and daughter, who help promote and manage her social media platforms and online presence.