In an increasingly digital world, where technology continues to transform the way we live, work, and create, there is something particularly meaningful about objects made by hand.
Whether through traditional textiles, pottery, woodwork, or other forms of craftsmanship, handmade objects carry something beyond their aesthetic appeal. They represent the skill, creativity, and knowledge of the people who make them, often drawing on traditions passed down through generations.
Yet, as mass production becomes increasingly commonplace and technology continues to reshape creative industries, preserving these traditions and ensuring they remain relevant presents its own challenges. For countries like Sri Lanka, with a rich heritage of traditional arts and crafts, there is also the question of how these skills and the people behind them find a place in an increasingly global marketplace.
For Canada-based couple Christina McGirr and Dilshan Kathriarachchi, these questions were among the driving forces behind Kohomba, a Sri Lankan lifestyle brand bringing traditional craftsmanship into contemporary homes around the world.
Established in September 2024, with its first collection launching in April 2025, Kohomba began with a focus on Sri Lankan batik, reinterpreting traditional techniques through contemporary home décor. Since then, the brand has expanded into other forms of craftsmanship, working with Sri Lankan artisans and designers to create products which celebrate the country’s creative heritage while appealing to international audiences.
The Sunday Morning Brunch caught up with Christina and Dilshan to learn more about the inspiration behind Kohomba, the challenges of introducing Sri Lankan craftsmanship to international markets, and why they believe preserving the human element of creativity is more important than ever.
Interestingly, neither Christina nor Dilshan comes from a traditional design or crafts background. Both have built their careers in marketing and technology, industries where innovation and digital transformation are constantly changing the way people work and interact.
For Dilshan, this experience has also brought an appreciation for the aspects of creativity which technology cannot easily replicate.
“When you’re in that world, what you’re exposed to is technology everywhere, but it’s also dehumanising at the same time,” he explained. “We’ve all seen the evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into everything, and everything becoming quite synthetic in nature. We’re in that world, but we have a lot of value and appreciation for craft and the human touch.
“Kohomba is essentially an expression of that part of our brain where we almost don’t want anything technological touching it. It’s a celebration of human creativity and human craft.”
For Christina, the inspiration was also deeply personal. Having met Dilshan in Canada, her first visit to Sri Lanka introduced her to a creative culture which felt markedly different from the mass-produced products she was accustomed to seeing at home.
“When Dilshan took me to Sri Lanka for the first time, it was stunning. In Canada, everything you see is mass-produced or machine-oriented. Watching something where you can literally tell the strokes of where someone has painted it was beautiful,” she recalled.
For Christina, her first visit to Sri Lanka offered a different perspective on craftsmanship; she was struck by the individuality of handmade objects and the visible evidence of the artisans behind them.
“Craft is an expression of humanity and human energy put into an object. There’s something so beautiful about interacting with something another person has made. It changes with time and distance, but there’s still a human connection with what you’re holding and observing,” she said.
A particular admirer of Geoffrey Bawa, Christina recalled being struck by the architecture of properties such as Heritance Kandalama and how elements which might feel familiar to Sri Lankans appeared extraordinary through the eyes of someone experiencing them for the first time.
“When I go to Sri Lanka, I see the batik and think it’s so gorgeous, but for Sri Lankans, it’s commonplace. For me, it was about taking something that was everywhere in Sri Lanka and finding a place for it here.
“We wanted to find something that would build in Sri Lankan aesthetics, from motifs to cultural pieces, whether it’s a cushion cover or a plate, something that would make us feel at home in our living room and our lives, but at the same time feel at home in a condo in downtown Toronto,” Christina explained.
Batik was the natural starting point, although the Founders wanted to do more than introduce existing products to international consumers. Working closely with artisans, they studied traditional techniques and explored how these might be incorporated into contemporary designs, while also documenting the processes behind their creation.
Since launching with batik textiles, Kohomba has expanded into palmyrah, handloom, ceramics, and traditional laksha (lacquer) work, with cane and block printing also being explored. Its collections have evolved beyond home décor and tableware into accessories such as tote bags and scarves.
Finding a place for Sri Lankan design
Introducing traditional Sri Lankan craftsmanship to international consumers has required more than developing products with contemporary appeal.
One of the biggest challenges, Christina explained, has been communicating the significance of crafts which international audiences are not necessarily familiar with. “The rest of the world isn’t necessarily familiar with the crafts of Sri Lanka. When they see batik, they don’t intuitively know it’s batik,” she said.
Another interesting discovery has been the role of colour. With North American interiors increasingly favouring neutral tones, Kohomba’s vibrant designs offer an interesting contrast. “Living rooms have been becoming very beige and monotonic. There’s been a big celebration of the pale tones of Nordic architecture and interior design. Sri Lanka is a complete counterpoint to that,” Dilshan observed.
In many cases, Kohomba’s products become statement pieces within otherwise understated interiors, introducing colour and character without necessarily changing the overall aesthetic of a space.
Perhaps most meaningful, however, have been the unexpected emotional responses to individual pieces. Christina recalled one customer who spent nearly 10 minutes studying a table runner from their launch collection before striking up a conversation with the Founders. “He started telling me about his girlfriend and his mother, all from this piece of tapestry. It had spoken to him at such a deep level,” she recalled.
For the couple, experiences like these have reinforced their belief in the emotional value of handmade objects, even when those connections are difficult to measure in conventional business terms. “It’s something that doesn’t always show in a financial statement, but it’s incredibly meaningful,” Christina said.
Creating opportunities for Sri Lankan talent
Beyond introducing Sri Lankan craftsmanship to international audiences, Christina and Dilshan hope to create new opportunities for local creative talent. Working with a predominantly female design team, Kohomba aims to provide Sri Lankan designers with opportunities to develop products for international markets without having to leave the country.
The brand works with a design team comprising talented Sri Lankan women, and Christina explained that an important part of their vision has been creating opportunities for designers to develop products which reach audiences beyond Sri Lanka.
“I think so many people in Sri Lanka feel that in order to reach the rest of the world, they have to leave Sri Lanka. But we wanted to build an alternative pathway.”
For the Founders, this also means looking beyond their existing collections and exploring opportunities to collaborate with other Sri Lankan designers who have developed their own distinctive approaches to design.
With a new autumn/winter collection in development, Kohomba is continuing to expand its product offering, with the Founders emphasising that their collections will be available to both Sri Lankan and international customers.
Rather than developing separate products for different markets, their intention is to maintain the same quality and design standards across their collections, regardless of where customers are based.
As Kohomba continues to grow, Christina and Dilshan hope to bring more Sri Lankan crafts, designers, and artisans into the international market, demonstrating how traditional skills find new relevance through contemporary design.
At a time when technology is increasingly influencing how creative work is produced and consumed, their approach also raises a broader question about the value we place on the human process behind the things we own.
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