Havelock City was abuzz with excitement as the much-anticipated popup event, “Reveal”, took place at Havelock City Clubhouse last weekend. Reveal was an event undertaken to provide a platform for many emerging Reveal was an event designed to provide a platform for emerging female entrepreneurs, spotlighting their talents and business acumen.

The event brought together a diverse array of talent from the worlds of fashion, culinary arts, and hand crafts, all under one roof. Attendees were treated to an immersive experience that included hourly games, interactive exhibits, and the opportunity to peruse a variety of unique products. The event was a celebration of creativity and innovation, showcasing the hardworking and innovative thinking of women in Sri Lanka. This article will take a closer look at the highlights of “Reveal” and explore how the event affected the future of Entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka.

The origins of Elevate Events is an endearing tale as it was a passion project of Mrs Saahdiya Mushtaq Inzam and Mrs Rizma Athaulla Numair. Their desire to uplift and empower women led them to discover the many talented female entrepreneurs running small-scale businesses. These women were putting in all their hard work and talent into their craft, but they didn’t have a platform to showcase their skills. That’s when Mrs Saahdiya and Mrs Rizma had an idea: why not create a marketplace event that celebrates and showcases these amazing women?

In 2019, just a week after International Women’s Day, Elevate Events organized its very first marketplace event called “It’s Your Time to Shine.” Over 400 people attended, and all of the vendors had successful sales that day. The event’s success gave them the confidence and experience to continue organizing more marketplaces under different themes. And in 2021, they hosted their second event, “Yes, I Do!” catering to the needs of all the brides-to-be out there. The event brought together bridal necessities and event planning vendors under one roof, and it was another resounding success.

Empowering women entrepreneurs isn’t just good for business; it’s essential for a brighter and more inclusive future.

Below mentioned are all of the entrepreneurs at the Reveal event. We were able to get the stories of a few of the sellers at Reveal and have documented their stories.

Knots By Reha

Knots by Reha is a fashion store that offers affordable, high-quality designer desi wear for people looking to elevate their wardrobe. Mrs. Rehana Shiraz, is a lover of ethnic and modest fashion and created Knots by Reha, she designs every item sold at the store with a focus on creating comfortable and empowering wear for Sri Lankan mothers. Her inspiration came from the exorbitant prices of designer wear in Sri Lanka, and her mission is to provide Sri Lankan mothers with the chance to wear high-quality, beautiful ethnic wear at an affordable price.

Knots by Reha’s items are made from crushed cotton, which gives them a light-weight, delicate, yet ethereal feel. The store caters to a diverse age group and offers options for anyone looking to express their personality, style, and cultural identity. Mrs. Rehana carefully handpicks a shawl or set for each dress, giving her customers the best possible product. Knots by Reha works with trustworthy Sri Lankan distributors of apparel material to ensure that the materials used to create the dresses are of high quality.

In summary, Knots by Reha is making designer wear accessible and affordable to everyone while contributing to the economy and supporting Sri Lankan businesses. Mrs. Rehana can be reached through the Instagram link for all your ethnic wear needs.

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/knotsbyreha/

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Aunty Dinoos

Amongst the many stalls and popups at the venue a few deserve to be highlighted and one of them is Aunty Dinoo`s. Aunty Dinoo`s deals with the sale of pickled as well as stir fried Goods and condiments, their business has been a labor of love as Aunty Dinoo’s started their business as a way of expressing the passion they have for cooking. Aunty Dinoo`s items are all homemade and vegan.

They started business in 2021 and through the pandemic and the economic crisis they have been growing slowly but steadily. Their items are reasonably priced and are delicious to taste, they capture the essence of Sri Lankan Achcharu leaving a pleasant yet subtly spicy taste. Aunty Dinoo`s products can be purchased by messaging their social media pages or by contacting the number listed in their social media pages.

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/aunty_dinoos_withlove/?hl=en

Boutique By Rach

Next we found Boutique By Rach, an apparel and accessory store run by a young entrepreneur named Rachel. Boutique by Rach deals with desi fashion and are primarily in the sale of Kurti`s and Potlis. Their stall was adorned with a variety of eye-catching and stylish  Potlis (a type of clutch purse in desi fashion ) of a myriad of colors as well as a beautiful selection of Kurtis. Rachels idea was to provide Sri Lankan women affordable yet beautifully designed ethnic wear and their prices reflect this. Boutique By Rach`s primary customers have been women in the demographics of 20 to 50 years of age and their Attire is designed for evening functions as well as for casual wear. Boutique By Rach can be found on Instagram for any purchases.

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/boutiquebyrach/?hl=en

Crafts Of Ceylon

At the far end of the venue we found a stall called Crafts of Ceylon. Their table was arrayed with a variety of home decoration items, utensils and jewelry. Each of these items were all designed using traditional Sri Lankan artisanship. Crafts of Ceylon is an endeavor helmed by Shanika Talwatte. She started Crafts of Ceylon because of her love for the traditional styles of crafting and jewelry unique to Sri Lanka. Her mission has been to “Providing a platform to resurrect authentic Sri Lankan arts and crafts” and each piece of jewelry and home decor in her itinerary has been painstakingly handmade with an unmistakable aura of Sri Lankanness to them.

Crafts of Ceylon has been in business since early 2021 and they have grown strongly and steadily since then. Their jewelry and decor are made from ethically  eco friendly materials sourced from Sri Lanka, their customers have been a mix of many demographics as women of all age groups have found their works eye-catching.

However their growth, like most businesses in Sri Lanka, have been impacted by the economic crisis in Sri Lanka as their ability to reach their suppliers has been impacted by the fuel crisis and the quotas imposed, leading to slowing down of operations. Despite this they have been able to persevere and thrive in these times. 

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/craftsofceylon/?hl=en

Power Crunch

Power Crunch was the second food and beverage store we met and their products caught our attention because of the variety of foods they had. Their items were Pizzas, Cheeses, chocolates, ice creams and crunch`s. And all of these items were vegetarian. Every facet of their products has a plant based component and their packaging is done in a fully dehydrated manner in order to increase the shelf life of their products. A fascinating aspect of Power Crunch is their engagement with their customers as they have incorporated a whatsapp group with most of their customers. This has allowed the customers to make personalized and specific orders and has given Power Crunch the opportunity to discover new dishes.

Power Crunch has a physical store as well as stores on uber.

Website – https://powercrunch.lk/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/powercrunchgranola/

Electro Art

Electro Arts is an arts and crafts seller which specializes in creating ethically sourced and eco friendly high quality arts and crafts for children. from the age of Four and above. ElectroArt is helmed by Lisa Weldon. She has honed her craft and has been in arts and crafts artisanship for 14 years, of which 12 years has been in Abu Dhabi. ElectroArt`s material are sourced from Sri Lankan suppliers as well as suppliers from the UK,US, Australia and France.

Lisa`s guiding principle has been to create products that are eco friendly and with that intention her products are made with biodegradable and plastic free materials. One of the challenges Lisa has faced has been the sourcing of materials from foreign sources as payments going from Sri Lanka have been limited which has caused a slowness in operations. Yet Lisa is unfazed by this and continues to work in her craft because of the passion she has for her craft.

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Electroartsl/

Reveal 2023 has been a great success as the turnout has again exceeded the expected 500 – 600 visitors and it has introduced many more new female entrepreneurs to the spotlight of Sri Lankan business. It has served to empower all of the women who participated at the event as well as the many young girls who now know that they too can achieve success in their own entrepreneurial ventures.