Hatch Accelerateher Alumni- Leo the Label by Sashini Jinasena
Hatch Accelerateher Alumni – Leo the Label by Sashini Jinasena
by Zuleika Buhar
Born out of the intention to develop a label that prioritizes the skills of local artisans, Leo the Label moves away from the traditional mass production structure that dominates Sri Lankan factories today, and instead, steers towards a more conscious system of production.
Every item is ethically handcrafted in limited batches by Sri Lankan artisans, using locally-sourced, biodegradable linen fabric. Timeless pieces uniquely named after ancient goddesses, inspiring women & celestial bodies. Leo the Label is designed to be versatile enough to be dressed up or down to suit any given occasion.
We sat down with accelerateher alumni Sashini Jinasena to ask her a few questions on her journey thus far.
What makes “Leo the Label” so unique from other existing fashion lines within Sri Lanka?
We were born out of the intention to develop a clothing line that really utilities the skills of local artisans in Sri Lanka particularly in a none exploitative manner so we intended to stray away from the mass production structure that dominates Sri Lankan factories today. We instead steer towards a more conscious line of production. Each piece being handcrafted in very limited batches by seamstresses in and around Colombo. We only use locally sourced end of roll biodegradable fabric so this means we only specialize in linen at the moment until we can find other locally and ethically sourced materials like cotton.
Being a woman within this industry was there any unique challenges you faced based on your gender?
One of the main things is never been taken seriously especially in bigger institutions like governments and banks. Being a woman and a young woman as well, they just don’t take anything you say seriously and you feel it in the way they talk to you. I faced this when I had to register my business and attend to things like that.
How do you deal with this challenge?
I think the main thing is to not take it to heart and keep going. You see so many incredible female entrepreneurs that have gone on to start businesses and succeed. Keeping in mind that there are people who have gone through worse before you and succeeded just makes you realise you can do this well.
Speaking of female entrepreneurs, who do you look up to and why?
I have two people that come to mind.
Sara Blakely, a really incredible entrepreneur and person as a whole. She’s a mother as well. She has an incredibly successful company and I just really appreciate the way she’s run it. The way she treats her employees and the community that she’s built.
The second is Lacy Phillips, also an entrepreneur who basically created her own formula for holistic living based on the principles of spirituality and neuroscience. She converted that into a course and built a successful business while doing so. I think what’s common about both these people is that not only are they successful entrepreneurs but they put a lot of work into their own self-development as well and I think that makes them really cool holistic individuals.
What message do you have for young girls who look up to you?
Believe in yourself no matter what. Believe in your ideas because, I feel like your mind will always give you 1000 reasons why it won’t work out and sometimes it’s not just your mind but the people around you as well. Where I am today and my business itself, is proof that if you push past those negative beliefs and do it anyway there’s really magic waiting for you on the other side. You will continue to surprise yourself with how far you go when you truly believe in yourself.
How has your business been handling the current economic crisis in Sri Lanka?
That’s a really good question that we’re figuring out day by day!
I think one of the main things, that happens when you become an entrepreneur and start a business is you need to be willing to adapt and be flexible. I felt like me cutting cost or changing my offering or even transforming my business model altogether is something I needed to do it to adapt with the times. On a personal level you need to remind yourself that this is the nature of business and not just business but life as a whole. There will always be tough times and you just have to have ethe determination to go through it and also be able to adapt and pivot when needed.
What do you want your business to achieve next following the accelerateher program?
One of the main goals that I have for the business is to build our own production house and bring our production in-house. To have our own seamstresses and obviously to continue to expand onto to more outlets and perhaps diversify our product portfolio as well to expand into accessories and things like that.
Being in accelerateher what are you most proud of in this program and why?
I think just being selected is an amazing thing for me . Just being part of this. I started Leo last August so I never would have even dreamt of being in an accelerateher program. I think what I was most proud of was creating and streamlining my pitch and then presenting it to a whole audience. This was about hundred plus people. I’ve always been nervous of public speaking so I’m really proud of myself for pushing through that fear and doing it anyway.
What was the most important piece of advice you obtained from the mentors a the accelerateher program?
I think the main recurring theme for all of them was drilling it into our minds to not play it small. Especially as women we tend to sometimes dumb ourselves down for societies sake and instead of doing that, they advised us to play it big and believe in yourself whole heartedly and just pursue everything you set out to do.
If you could tell yourself one thing when you were just starting out your brand what would it be?
Always put my mental health first and to never stop working on my own personal development.
What are you most proud of both professionally and personally?
The work I’ve put on myself to get to the mindset to where it is today. I know that if I did not do that inner work then my business wouldn’t be here today as well. They definitely go hand on hand so I’m just proud of myself for the fact that I’ve just kept on this journey of self-actualization and constant improving of myself.
Starting a business isn’t an easy task at all. It often requires time, courage and a lot of hard work.
Sashini Jinasena has shown despite the challenges with determination, perseverance and a drive to achieve, one can surely surmount the challenges and obstacles in one’s way and see success at the end of the day. We wish Sashini the best of luck for the rest of the upcoming program.
Accelerateher is a curated 3-month program tailored to your startups’ needs and growth objectives.
The program mentors and experts are individuals with deep industry, investment, and entrepreneurship experience, and have worked across all stages of a startup.
They’ll be on hand to guide you and your team towards your growth objectives.
Head on over to their website to learn more!
