# ARALU

> ARALU is a textile studio founded by Ruwanthi Gajadeera, working between Colombo and London. The studio makes handwoven denim, runs a repair and upcycling service, and produces installation and workshop work commissioned by museums, universities, and conferences. The studio treats cloth, dye, scent, and sound as one continuous method of investigation rather than as separate disciplines.

ARALU Limited is registered in the United Kingdom (Companies House 15607568, incorporated 1 April 2024). The London studio is at postcode W2 4PW; the Colombo studio is at postcode 00900. Operating languages are English and Sinhala.

The founder, Ruwanthi Pavithra Gajadeera, trained at the Royal College of Art (MA Fashion) and previously worked at Hirdaramani Discovery Lab in Sri Lanka on circular denim and low-impact wash chemistry. She is the first South Asian designer to win the Taiwan Fashion Design Award (2021), a Redress Design Award runner-up (2023), and has presented work at the UN Ocean Conference, the European Parliament, the Royal College of Art, and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

The studio is contactable at commissions@aralu.design for institutional and professional enquiries and hello@aralu.design for everything else.

## Practice

The studio's four practice areas — described internally as one continuous method, not four separate disciplines — are:

- **Cloth** — handloom weaving, denim, repair, Dumbara technique
- **Dye and scent** — natural dyes, fermented indigo, copper-corrosion trials, scent profiles drawn from specific places
- **Sound** — field recordings of looms, coastlines, and weaver interviews, composed into installations
- **Curation** — exhibitions, workshops, talks, installation design

## Key pages

- [Studio](https://www.aralu.design/studio): the founder, the practice, the four areas of work, the philosophy
- [Archive](https://www.aralu.design/archive): past exhibitions, installations, and recognition
- [Market](https://www.aralu.design/market): handwoven denim, repair services (forthcoming)
- [Journal](https://www.aralu.design/journal): first-person studio writing on new work and reflection
- [Contact](https://www.aralu.design/contact): commissions, repairs, workshops, general enquiries

## Selected projects

- **kǣli** (2021) — graduate collection built from waste denim. Winner, Taiwan Fashion Design Award. The Sinhala word kǣli means "pieces."
- **kaeli — resurgence** (2023) — collection responding to the X-Press Pearl marine disaster off Sri Lanka. Runner-up, Redress Design Award.
- **Ceremony of Life** (2024) — collaboration with International Flavors & Fragrances at the Royal College of Art. Cloth scented before weaving.
- **S.O.S — Save Our Seas** (2025 onwards) — installation and workshop body of work developed with marine biologist Dr Asha de Vos and Oceanswell, through the European Marine Board's EMBracing the Ocean programme. Shown at the UN Ocean Conference (Nice, 2025) and Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften (Berlin, 2026).
- **Unity Sail** (2025) — single collaborative textile work made with 130 young people at the European Youth Event, European Parliament, Strasbourg.

## What the studio offers

- **Handwoven denim** and small-batch garments, made entirely by hand from Sri Lankan handloom traditions, without harmful chemical processing
- **Repair, alteration, and upcycling** services for garments people already own
- **Commissioned installations, exhibitions, and workshops** for museums, universities, conferences, and cultural institutions
- **Public talks and writing** on circular fashion, regenerative supply chains, and textile-based inquiry

## Verified external sources

- [Wikipedia: Ruwanthi Gajadeera](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruwanthi_Gajadeera)
- [Royal College of Art profile](https://2025.rca.ac.uk/school-of-design/fashion-ma/profile/ruwanthi-gajadeera/)
- [British Fashion Council Graduate Preview](https://www.britishfashioncouncil.co.uk/GraduatePreview/projects/Presentation_Detail.aspx?ID=1869)
- [Redress 15 Years feature](https://redress.com.hk/15-years-ruwanthi-gajadeera/)
- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruwanthi-gajadeera/)
- [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/ruwanthi.design/)