I’m Buddhika. 

I’m a Sri Lankan Australian mother and lawyer with endless love for chocolate and sunshine! According to the ancient chronicle of my ancestors, the Mahavamsa, Sri Lankans have been weaving textiles for close to 3,000 years! Growing up in Australia, my days were full of fabrics and handmade treasures: My mother was always busy sewing and creating and I sat next to her doing the same. The first piece of clothing I made was a waistcoat…it was the 90s afterall;-).

It just doesn’t seem right to me that most of the clothing available to buy is made in a way that hurts other people, non-human animals or our planet. I’ve been an advocate of human rights, animal rights and social and environmental justice since childhood. This philosophy has taken me down many paths and now it’s brought me back to textiles and creating.

I believe in living my values every day, and in small ways, not only big.  As a parent, this is something that I try to impart to my children, but it’s not always easy as there is so  little time and so much information to wade through to learn the truth about how something is made and what it is made from. My passion for parenting, art, culture and social justice gave me an idea about how our family could help to make this situation easier for other families: Lovely textiles, beautifully rich with meaning and culture, ethically and sustainably made for the people who own the future: KIDS. So, I started Buddhika, in collaboration with my husband, and with the support of our family around the globe.

Our designs have grown predominantly from our little family’s diverse heritage and fusion-style way of life as an Australian-South Asian-Latin American family, our belief in gentle parenting and my own love for art, colour and the off-beat. Many of our exclusive designs were hand sketched by me and then hand carved onto wooden blocks by skilled artisans in India. I also love to create custom colourways using traditional motifs. Whilst I handcraft some items here in Australia, many items are made by artisans in India working in an ethical environment where they are truly appreciated.  I would like to acknowledge the artisans’ contribution to our collection and thank them for sharing their expertise and cultural knowledge, including any traditional motifs shared. 

Ayubowan (May you be blessed with a long life)

Buddhika