#IamAOD
Ruth Weerasinghe
Senior Designer - InQube Global
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During her early years, Ruth spent her holidays in Kurunegala, where her grandparents lived. Surrounded by rivers, lakes, and paddy fields, it was a completely different world that deeply shaped her connection to nature. However, as she grew older, she began to notice the rapid environmental changes taking place. Rivers started drying out, streams no longer held fish, and paddy fields could not produce harvests as they once did. Reports of acid rain in urban areas further pushed her to reflect on the impact of pollution on air, water, and land, as well as the need for environmental protection.
These experiences led her to merge the ideas of sustainability, protection, and longevity through design. She began exploring the use of repurposed non-biodegradable industrial synthetic waste and clothing waste, building an inspiring approach around the concept of take-make-reuse through upcycling and reconstruction.
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When I was 15, I heard about the Fashion Design course and took part in one of the open days held at AOD in 2013. It was my dream to join AOD and complete my degree. I joined the Fashion Design and Marketing Degree program as I was interested in both the creative and marketing side of fashion from end to end, design to product, promotions, and marketing. I was very fortunate to have inspiring and extremely supportive lectures and gained many industry exposures throughout my time at AOD. Today I work as a Senior fashion designer at Inqube Global – (Innovation arm of Brandix).
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Education
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De Montfort University - Master of Arts
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Northumbria University - BA (Hons) Fashion & Textile Design
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Lanka Institute of Fashion Technology - Foundation in Human Resource Management , Human Resources Management
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National Institute of Business Management (NIBM) - Advanced Certificate in Human Resource Management, Advanced Diploma in Software Engineering, Foundation in Human Resource Management
Honours & Awards
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Redress Design Award 2020 - Runner-up Prize Winner
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AOD Valedictorian of Class of 2018
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SDC Competition 2018 - Finalist
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Volunteer - Sustainable Design Developer (University of Cambridge)
Ruth’s work in sustainability was awarded in 2020 when she won the runner up for prize at the Redress Design Awards and with valuable mentorship from Orsola de Castro, Ruth has launched her own brand, SO4, with a focus on reusing, upcycling, and recycling waste creatively. SO4 was one of the eight emerging sustainable Redress Design Award alumni brands that were showcased at Shenzhen Fashion Week SS23. Supporting this win Ruth was also awarded an educational trip to London to meet leaders in sustainable fashion. Ruth has also shown at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka, and collaborated with The R Collective to design a backpack exclusively for UBS made from industrial waste including car airbags, tuk tuk covers, and tyre waste.
