Sunshinestory; Rasi & Catharine (THe oLD RaiLwAy) on Sri Lanka

This is actually the first sunshinestory we made. It´s about a really cool couple in a really cool town.

Rasi & Catharine.

In Galle.

Galle is an old town in southern Sri Lanka, with a fort surrounding it. Everyone rush to the fort. But they miss our favorite place in Galle.

THe oLD RaiLwAy.

It´s a store located next to the channel, not far away from the bus station and right across the train station, thus the name. It’s owned and driven by Catharine and Rasi, and to be honest it is so much more that just a store. It’s the outcome of a love story, you can sense it in the clothes, furniture and definitely in their smiles.

Rasi and Chatrine fell in love 2006, got married 2010 and later that year in december they also opened the doors to  The Old Railway. Cathrine is from London and has a four year fashion education behind her. When she does´nt work with making her own clothes she work as a travel guide and gets flown around all of the historical wonders of the world. She a great sense for coulor and style that I don’t belive any education can give you, she´s truly a natural talent. Rasi is Sri Lankan and works with old vintage furnitues which he collects all over Sri Lanka. He goes to old houses seeking for furnitures left from the past colonisations. What he findes?  Some of the coolest furnitures iv´e ever seen, made of olf beautiful wood, and sells for quite alot.

Rasi’s eye for old, amazing furniture and other collecteble things, and Cathrine’s incredbile clothes makes the perfect match. Walking trough the doors of the store feels like to step into a different world. A world with amazing dresses, skirts, pillows, jewellry and t-shirts for both boys and girls. I bought this top and this cute dress.In the resturant & guesthouse ”Why not” in Hikkaduwa you can find some clothes and bags from The old railway. Help them out and like their facebook page, and if you are in Sri Lanka, you should definitely pay them a visit.

Everything is handmade by Chatrine and if you ask her where the fabric is from she´ll tell you a unique story about even the tiniest piece of cloth. The fabric in my top is from a sari she wore when going to the cinema in north india to watch a bollywood film. The lace on my dress in handmade by an old Sri Lankan woman who lives next door.

Before they turned the store into The Old Railway it used to be Rasi’s fathers old electronic store but together they renovated it to a hip lifestye boutiqe. There’s also plans on making the second floor to a coffee shop, and I have no doubt it will be a sucess.

Thanks for sharing your story guys.

Linn & Petter