Shivajothi’s Gender-Neutral Clothing Blends Radical Design with Traditional Technique

For Vancouverite Sujitha Shivajothi’s Sri Lankan parents, gorgeous saris and precisely pressed suits were always in regular rotation. “My mom and dad were very fashionable,” the designer says, “so, for me, fashion was always something I was drawn to.” She recalls a childhood memory of almost ironing out a critical crease in her father’s trousers: “He was like, these things are here for a reason.” That early lesson of intentionality—and meticulous devotion to tailoring and pleating—comes through in her own eponymous brand, Shivajothi. But, unlike the traditional suit-or-sari binary, every piece that comes out of her Strathcona-based studio is gender-neutral.

“I love being Sri Lankan, but it is a very gendered culture,” Shivajothi shares. As a kid, she never gravitated toward dresses or skirts (in fact, growing up, she was more likely to dip into her father’s closet for a cozy cardigan). From launch in 2020, she has devoted her brand to defying categorization. That said, her asymmetrical jackets, flared dress shirts and bold-shouldered “flight suits” are categorically cool. The fact that everything is made in-house (and most items are made-to-order) only makes these statement-makers more special. Take the Pixelated Cameo coat, for example: the thick, double-faced wool requires hand-stitching, and each one takes around 65 hours to complete.

The designer’s passion for construction, reverence for craft and commitment to gender inclusivity has been recognized by Maclean’s and on the runway at New York Fashion Week. And because the Shivajothi brand is such a small operation, she’s able run it with sustainability at the forefront. “I work with really high-quality and deadstock fabrics, and I don’t overproduce—I only make what I can sell,” she says. For buy-local devotees who love style with a story, this is a brand to watch: Shivajothi’s unique handmade wares and (perhaps hereditary) attention to detail are, without a doubt, a labour of love.