Jude Gayantha Perera has a job title that is not common in Colombo: stylist; and he is fashioning the term for himself. He writes, hosts a radio talk show and works with Colombo Fashion Week PR: many trades that require one core competency – an understanding of how to connect with society and set the trend.

“Sri Lanka tends to be behind on fashion trends,” he explains, “but my job is to always be ahead of the curve.”

Instead of latching on to what is already on the catwalks and in stores, Perera has to anticipate what is going to get on there and gear ahead for the season accordingly, keeping an eye out for fabrics, designers, tailors and retailers. When a client calls, to prepare for a particular occasion, Perera already has the pieces in place. Since officially beginning business in December 2015, most of Perera’s assignments are single event related. But the fully fledged business he aspires to is something he says Colombo is finally beginning to understand: wardrobe management.

Outrageous and classy: Jude Gayantha Perera believes individual personality is what wins the deal, and your clothes are subliminally communicating your personality. Photographed by Saaliya Thilakarathna at Envoy Mansions

“It’s sort of like grocery shopping or having a smart fridge,” he explains. “Except, instead of telling the client you need more eggs because you’re running out, I will probably tell them not to wear label ‘x’ this season because everyone else will be wearing it.”

Perera begins by taking stock of a client’s wardrobe. Then, he makes an assessment about what can stay, what needs to go and what is missing. In the process, the person he is working for is the first consideration.

“There’s a science to the way you dress,” he explains. “And it’s much more than just a stylist keeping up with the trends for you. It’s a reflection of who you are, your political motivations and what you are feeling.”

Wardrobe planning sometimes needs to be done months in advance, but Perera also often does one-off consultations. In a hypothetical situation, when a business person is faced with an important meeting, their instinct is to go safe: black suit, white shirt and maybe a red tie. Perera bemoans this pressure within the corporate sector to stifle individual personality by sticking to acceptable and predictable dress codes as a self-defeating device.

[pullquote]There’s a science to the way you dress… It’s a reflection of who you are, your political motivations and what you are feeling[/pullquote]

“It’s your personality that is going to win you the deal!” he exclaims, “and your clothes are subliminally communicating your personality.”

However, the importance of balancing reliability with the right level of individual personality can’t be overstated, and this is where Perera comes in, in his official capacity as wardrobe manager. A client calls wanting to ‘seal the deal’ with investors at a particular meeting, and Perera’s job is to make the right first impression.

“I need to make sure that, when he walks into the room, he looks like a secure investment,” he says. “There has to be a sense of affluence about him, but nothing young or frivolous.”

Off the top of his head, the stylist will go for darker instead of lighter blues. A simple step that he says “most people don’t even think about”. But he won’t pick everything. Perera makes it a point not only to let his clients do at least part of the choosing, but also to help them understand why they make particular choices.

The stylist himself is usually a juxtaposition of outrageous and classy, pulling off tailor-made jackets in unlikely colors paired with shorts and loafers. Most of Perera’s clients come to him with a wardrobe full of branded clothes that don’t really help their appearance.

“Honestly, it’s not just about who the designer is, because nobody is going to flip your jacket over and see who made it. It’s about making sure that it fits.”

Perera claims that Sri Lankan retailers tend not to understand the Sri Lankan body type and its differences to US/UK standards.

“There are also retailers who just lie through their teeth,” he says, mixing up sizes to make shoppers feel better about themselves. “It’s a common strategy, but it’s also misinforming the public.”

Perera has a few local retailers he prefers to work with who understand the requirement for high-quality products to be delivered fast. But he also takes a keen interest in local sourcing, so is always on the lookout for new designers and retailers.