Life style
Rock it with FROK !

by Rochelle Palipane Gunaratne
FROK, the brainchild of the innovative fashionista and trend setter, Natalie Jayasuriya blazed into the online shopping platform with a desire to provide locally designed haute couture for the young and trendy fashion conscious youth. Its marketing has been designed to target a young demographic of 16 upwards, however the products available on the site are for the Perpetually Youthful, whether it be Female or Male, those who are fiercely spirited and live in a realty where filters are key. As online purchasing dynamics have reportedly proven, an influential image or persona fuels and secures consumer decisions.
The platform offers a mix of FROKE Signature designs and select collections from local designers who will showcase their interpretation of the authentic FROK Feel.
“Guilty as charged,’ admitted the enthusiastic entrepreneur who admitted to shopping overseas for her ultra- chic clothing, adding that she has perennially faced a brick wall when hunting for that, “little black dress,” or clothes that accentuate and enhance the unique individuality of a person. Thus the lockdown paved the way for some research among the retro teens and young adults who expressed their views, adding that online shopping has grown stealthily due to a dearth in clothing stores that cater to their taste. Thus the wheels were set in motion and together with Mario Gooneratne, Natalie established FROK, a Contemporary Fashion Forward Online platform with a pragmatic and conscious brand ethos.
Forming bonds through FROK
The backbone of FROK is a scalable e-commerce platform that captures vast amounts of data points from the shoppers so that we can use machine learning to bring out hyper-personalized experiences to our valued clients” says Natalie Jayasuriya “expect to make use of valuable data that we capture so that we can offer a great shopping experience.” We possess the ideal recipe for morphing fast fashion into high fashion, without altering the price point.
FROK is completely customer centric. “The customer will actually be able to reach out and speak to a member of the FROK Family, who will assist them as we believe it is essential to retain close bonds with our customers. The HUMAN Element is our strongest USP”.
Trendy fashions at your fingertips
All the user journeys of the FROK platform are mobile optimized. “We’re catering to the mobile savvy customers who demand best in class experiences while on the go. Each page is designed carefully by taking new age design concepts that are optimized for all form factors of mobile phones. A mobile app which is native to Apple and Android will be launched within this year”.
Founders of FROK
Mario Gooneratne, Director of FROK is also the founder and CEO of LinearSix (PVT) Ltd, a boutique technology and consulting company with a strong focus in helping banks, finance and insurance companies be better by implementing cutting edge software solutions to digitally transform them.
The independent business woman, Natalie has earned due respect and awe for her successful repertoire in PR and Marketing. She has always had an interest in entertainment and F&B ventures which lead her to be at the forefront of the conceptualization and development of immensely popular nightclubs, bars and restaurants in Sri Lanka over the last decade. The wonder woman, has carved her own path from get go, thanks to the strong work ethics and values wish were inculcated by her parents since her formative years. Since childhood she found herself being immersed in an effervescent culture in which growth was closely associated with the freedom to explore new possibilities. This creative streak coupled with an intense passion to bring Sri Lankan creations which appeal to the specified age group into the mainstream, making it easily accessible resulted in the founding of FROK!
IN A FROKSHELL:
• To be the Sri Lankan hybrid of ASOS or SHEIN for Sri Lanka
• Support and market home grown vendors and adapt to Global trends to fit within OUR cultural context
• Help young Fashion Designers do what they love, and design and we will take care of the rest.
• To Provide Trendy, fast fashion products on an efficient and easy to use platform, essentially, making aspirational wear affordable and attainable, locally, regionally and eventually globally.
• Aim to keep revenue within our aisle instead of channelling it overseas
• To start by regulating sizing for Sri Lankan products
• FROK will be positioned as a forerunner for fashion forecasting, utilizing a relatable online platform.
Pix by Dharmasena Welipitiya
Foreign News
Rupert Murdoch set to marry for fifth time at 92

BBC reported that media tycoon Rupert Murdoch has announced his engagement to his partner Ann Lesley Smith, a former police chaplain.
Murdoch, 92, and Smith, 66, met in September at an event at his vineyard in California.
The Businessman told the New York Post,one of his own publications: “I dreaded falling in love – but I knew this would be my last. It better be. I’m happy.”
He split with fourth wife Jerry Hall last year.
Life style
Children’s happiness with gardening

By Arjuna Hulugalle
On October 7th 2022, Homagama Subarathi Maha Vidyalaya in Godagama Homagama commenced their Home Garden Program, with the support of Nest, a Community based Mental Health organisation. The objective was to reduce the short fall of food in the diet of the children and to deal with malnutrition in the school population. Both the teachers dealing with Agriculture and Domestic Science have been involved in the initiative.
The outcome of the programme has many positive developments. Both the teaching staff and the children have shown great enthusiasm. Children’s happiness with gardening became evident. The students began to understand the importance of eating organic vegetables and the role of vitamins and minerals in their diet. Open air exercise which gardening brings with it has added to better health. The students have also realized that our country does not have to worry about hunger and malnourishment, if one uses available resources.
The first stage of the Subarathi Maha Vidyalaya program is to create a model garden in the school premises. Even classrooms are encouraged to be used for accommodating “grow bags” with various types of yams.The second stage of the programme is to make model gardens in the homes of 100 senior students with special interest in agriculture. The parents of the students are also drawn into this program.The third stage is for the 100 seniors to concentrate on the balance 2500 students and motivate them to set up model gardens in their homes.
The Model Home Garden in School
The School garden has a representative selection of vegetables but is concentrating on Dambala, Cabbage, Long beans of two varieties, Turnips, Occra and KankunA spice garden is being developed with three varieties of chillies, two varieties of kochchi, mint, celery and pepper.
Yams are being grown in “grow bags” inside cClass rooms. The varieties propagated are Kiri Ala and Bathala.Trees grown in the school premises are Delum, two varieties of Nelli and Murunga.
Model Home gardens of the selected 100 students
These are being trained for their tasks of developing their own model home gardens and also to motivate the other 2500 students of the school and set up Home Gardens in their own homes.Intensive training sessions have been conducted starting with Dr Lionel Weerkoon, a world renowned authority on home gardens and Dr Anuruddha Padeniya who spoke on the value of organic agriculture.
The students were given packets of seeds of bitter gourd, pumpkin, kankun, Occra, long beans, dambala, green chillies and beans. Those students who have space in their homes, were also given trees and plants to be planted in their own home gardens. The saplings included Murunga, Jack, Nelli, Del, Delum, Avocado, Orange and Divul.
The Role of the Parents and the past students
The Home Garden program is supported by the Parents and past students and soon will interact more with the community at large. Already, they have contributed towards a sprinkler system for the School Garden.In the long term the Home Garden program can grow into market gardening in the community.
Life style
Dance Epicure first Dinner Dance Theatre

A captivating evening of dinner and dance – Dance Epicure by ‘With My Feet’ brings UK champion dancers and the best of Sri Lankan talent to the same stage Dance Epicure, Sri Lanka’s very first Dinner Dance Theatre concept produced by With My Feet is all set to entertain and delight on the 2nd of April at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo. The vision and brainchild of the legendary Naomi Rajaratnam, the uniquely curated evening of dance and gastronomy produced by the Colombo Dance Theatre will feature a roster of extraordinary international and local dancers paired with a night of culinary delight.
The latest initiative by Naomi, the Colombo Dance Theatre comprises of a company of elite international and local dancers woven firmly together by masterful choreography and a great love for dance. Dance Epicure will not only be the Theatre’s inaugural performance, but also the first of its kind in Sri Lanka; where artfully choreographed dance segments will be performed between a four-course sit-down menu. The highly anticipated event will feature the likes of world-renowned dancers – namely five-time undefeated UK National Latin American Champions Gunnar Gunnarsson and Marika Doshoris, as well as the formidable Nauris Kalva and Manuja Hughes, Blackpool Open Smooth Champions – sharing the stage with the best Sri Lankan dancers from Naomi’s own dance company With My Feet.
Naomi’s desire to uplift dancers from far-flung rural areas in Sri Lanka by providing them with the opportunities and spotlight they deserve has always been encapsulated in her dance showcases. It is with this vision in mind that Dance Epicure will also feature a heart-warming performance by the children of the Warehouse Project; an urban community solution in partnership with the Sri Narada Foundation. Additionally, as with all of Naomi’s shows, part of the proceeds from the event’s ticket sales will go towards the Dev Siri Sevana Elders Home in Welisara.
Commenting on the upcoming event, Naomi Rajaratnam said, “I am so honoured that some of the UK’s leading dancers have chosen to collaborate with us, and I am equally thrilled to be able to showcase the best of our Sri Lankan talent on the same platform.”
“The concept of a Dinner Dance Theatre has been on my mind for the longest time and I couldn’t think of a better moment to finally turn this dream into a reality,” she added. “The calibre of these world-renowned dancers paired with the best of With My Feet dancers is the perfect opportunity to offer a something truly unique to our Sri Lankan audience.”
The principal partners of Dance Epicure are Standard Chartered Bank Priority, Maliban Biscuit Manufactories, John Keells Properties, Sri Lankan Airlines, Shangri-La Colombo, Wijeya Newspapers and Capital Maharaja Group.
Tickets for Dance Epicure go on sale on Saturday the 11 th of March 2023 and can be purchased online at https://withmyfeet.com/. With My Feet social media pages will soon be updated with where tickets can be purchased offline.
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