La Pard is a sustainable clothing brand born in the tropical island of Sri Lanka created by Sri Lankan designer Dinushi Pamunuwa. Each and every piece is unique to one another as they are brought to life with the traditional handmade batik craft. Batik is a wax resistant fabric dyeing technique that has been used in Sri Lanka for generations and La Pard infuses the traditional Batik craft with modern designs to create timeless pieces of clothing.

The batik crafts industry in Sri Lanka is a decades old traditional craft leading back to the early 20th century, which has been passed on from generation to generation. It is a time consuming and tedious process where the surface design is drawn onto the fabric and then waxed; before it is then submerged in the dye bath. Once the dyeing has been completed it is then waxed once again to cover the dyed area and prepared to be dyed in the second colour. Once the dyeing is done, the fabric is then boiled to remove all the wax and any excess dye. The fabric is then transformed into the alluring and unique pieces of clothing.

As fast fashion approaches print techniques to replace the Batik craft, La Pard is extremely proud and humble to be a sustainable brand that strives to help the artisans – who have been doing Batik for years on end – to sustain with the traditional craft, while focusing on ethical manufacturing and with eco-friendly practices. La Pard also makes sure the artisans and the manufacturers are paid a living wage that can sustain a comfortable lifestyle, while also encouraging the new generations to become hands-on with the Batik industry. The garments are created using fabrics with natural fibres in order to save the planet from pollution and harmful polyester fabrics that will linger on earth for centuries to come. Each La Pard garment is made to order to make sure there are no excess garments left behind and can be customised by colours and fabrics.