Navindri Ranatunga is a Sri Lanka–born designer with a background in both fashion design and fashion management. Growing up in a country known for apparel manufacturing, she developed an early understanding of garment production alongside design.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion and Textile Design from Northumbria University, UK at AOD, Colombo and a Master’s degree in Fashion Management from Parsons School of Design, New York. Her experience spans design, merchandising and production roles in Sri Lanka and New York, allowing her to approach fashion with a practical, research-driven perspective.

Navindri founded Navyāti in 2020 as an independent womenswear label rooted in craftsmanship, thoughtful design, and small-batch production. Reflecting on Navyāti, Navindri says:

“I imagine my pieces to convey a sense of aspiration. Our minds—our thoughts—hold strange power. The materials that dress and encase our bodies each day are more than mere ‘clothes’; they carry emotion and meaning. When you see yourself reflected in them, they begin to emit a certain energy. In those moments, you find new kinds of value…

Each Navyāti collection, each piece, is an attempt at storytelling. I draw from Sri Lankan materials, motifs, environments, and ideas. But I’m not giving a historical account; nor am I representing a tradition. Instead, I’m proposing a feeling. Our stories move like ghosts, carrying memories across time and space. My designs try to reconcile those traces with the present, to bring them to dress the body.”

After an intentional pause, Navyāti returns with renewed focus—continuing to build collections that value process, provenance, and quiet confidence.