Watch: Sri Lankan woman turns tragedy into trendy designs

euronews (in English)

In a strange twist of fate, losing her sight in a tragic terror attack more than two decades ago gave Ashcharya Jayakody a new vision to rebuild and become a famed fashion designer.

Transcript

00:00 Something has to end for something to begin.

00:04 When you have a tremendous challenge in your life like myself,

00:08 there's going to be a new start, a brand new beginning.

00:11 I had to get adapted to the new situation.

00:15 That was the ticket for me to find a way to find myself.

00:19 Nobody can measure the kind of the inner strength I have gathered

00:24 through going through those difficult times.

00:26 What am I going to do with my life? I've just lost my sight.

00:29 I am Aishwarya Peries, Jai Kodi.

00:32 I'm a visually impaired fashion designer.

00:35 A designer is basically an artist.

00:45 We cannot limit a designer's capacity.

00:48 I design clothing and shoes.

00:50 All of the designs I produce are produced under my own designer label,

00:54 that is Christiana Glory.

00:56 Everything I produce is unique.

00:59 I cannot imitate any other designer.

01:01 I have not seen the world, not seen the designs for 22 years.

01:06 Before I lost my sight, it had never been in my mind

01:11 that someday I will be a fashion designer.

01:14 After I completed my studies, I used to work in a private bank.

01:18 I want to be a successful banker.

01:21 Within the first year, I bought my first vehicle.

01:25 Everything was going so well until the day, unexpectedly,

01:30 I was hit by a terrorist attack.

01:33 I was injured from the bomb blast.

01:37 One of the sharpeners had gone through my forehead

01:40 and had stopped here in the center of my brain.

01:43 As a result, I lost my sight.

01:46 More than the physical damage,

01:48 it is the psychological damage that really teared me apart.

01:54 I felt that I lost it all,

01:56 going through that kind of a difficult time.

01:58 I didn't have much finances.

02:01 I didn't have anything to spend for any sort of clothes

02:04 or anything for a shoe or for a T-shirt, nothing.

02:08 I think that was the turning point.

02:10 God, I believe, has blessed me with a new purpose,

02:15 a new vision to my life.

02:18 It has really given me a lot of strength

02:22 to somehow try and adapt myself,

02:26 to be visually impaired,

02:28 and to rebuild myself as a successful woman.

02:31 I remember that I used to have these

02:34 beautiful creative senses in me.

02:36 I used to create my own designs,

02:38 like designing my own saris, jewelry, sometimes shoes.

02:43 Why can't I do it now?

02:45 It was that positive energy in me

02:48 when I decided I'm going to do it all myself.

02:51 How do I choose my materials, the colors as a designer?

02:54 I cannot see anything.

02:56 I'm a completely blind person.

02:58 My eyes are closed, but I have a mouth to speak.

03:01 I have words, which a lot of karma is in power to explain.

03:06 Ah, bottle green.

03:07 When I visit a shop,

03:10 I get different ideas.

03:13 They discuss with us,

03:16 and they tell us everything,

03:17 and they take away the nice things.

03:19 They take away the bad things with good knowledge.

03:22 And they take away the good things with satisfaction.

03:26 They explain the design in detail.

03:29 They tell us what they want.

03:31 They tell us what they want.

03:33 They tell us what they want.

03:35 We know what they want.

03:37 They tell us what they want.

03:38 We can easily make it.

03:47 I need to develop my own technique

03:49 for the dressmaker to understand what I'm explaining.

03:53 My hand will move to such patterns

03:56 to explain to another person.

03:58 I ask the dressmaker to make the mini size of the same design.

04:03 I can just touch it

04:06 and understand the kind of mistakes that need to be corrected

04:09 so that we can go for the finished product.

04:14 I have very trustworthy dressmakers

04:17 to understand every little instruction

04:19 that I give to them when it comes to their design.

04:22 They are the ones who actually bring it to the real world.

04:26 I have about 11 dressmakers

04:29 spread out all throughout the country.

04:31 I have three shoemakers.

04:33 We are a team.

04:35 The first award that I received ever in my life

04:41 was the Designer of the Year.

04:43 It was in 2014.

04:45 There were 300 participants in that competition.

04:49 I was the only visually impaired person in the competition.

04:53 This particular award is so significant in my life

04:57 because it is something that I received

05:01 for the hidden talent.

05:03 It was a very joyful feeling

05:06 to bring back that creativity in me

05:09 that I believe that I lost so long ago.

05:13 It's like being found again with this particular award.

05:17 I appreciate every little thing I have received in my life afterwards.

05:25 I think I've come so far since then.

05:30 I have decided to take charge.

05:32 I have decided to change.

05:34 This is my life.

05:36 It is my career. It is my entire legacy.

05:39 When you don't give up,

05:42 when you have a desire and a willingness to live your life,

05:46 you can do it.

05:49 [Music]

05:53 [Music fades]

05:57 [Music fades]

06:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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