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| Abraham & Thakore |
HSBC Colombo
Fashion Week (CFW) with its recently concluded resort wear season has set the
stage for a new era of fashion in the Asian region. CFW is the very first
fashion week in Asia to fully incorporate the resort wear category into its
annual fashion calendar as a main season. In its third edition, CFW’s Resort
show has become a four-day showcase which includes ‘BrightSparks’ shows that
highlight up-and-coming designers and main shows featuring established
designers from Sri Lanka, the US, India and Bangladesh. CFW has pioneered the
development of the resort category in Asia, and has led the way in making it a
fashion market with immense potential.
The designers featured at this
year’s show saw a renowned line up of international and local designers
including: Bibi
Russell, Harare, Abraham and Thakore, KOCA, MAUS, , Ramona, Indie,
Catherine Rawson, Deneth, Sonali Dharmawardena, COCO, Conscience for LR, Nelun
Harasgama, Fouzul Hameed, U by Upeksha, Yaisisurie for Colombo Jewellery
Stores, Charini Suriyage Arugam Bay, Radhika and Spa Ceylon.
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| Arugam Bay |
Uplifting
fashion design talent in Sri Lanka: Dedicated
to uplifting Sri Lanka’s fashion design industry, CFW has worked tirelessly to
create a platform that grooms, showcases and promotes Sri Lankan designers in
both Sri Lanka and across the world. In just a decade, HSBC CFW has placed Sri
Lankan fashion on a pedestal and taken the industry to new
heights. CFW has also helped train and develop fashion designers by
incorporating special workshops into its main programme. These workshops
feature prominent speakers who are experts in fashion, textiles and branding,
and the specialized knowledge they share helps aspiring students to fulfil
their potential. This year, CFW also launched the ‘CFW Fashion Design Fund’, in
an effort to develop and support emerging designers with the highest potential.
This season saw Peronie Nadine Stefel as the first young designer to be awarded the fund. The CFW
management hope to include more designers who could be supported by this fund in
seasons to follow.
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| Sonali Dharmawardena |
Making a mark in the region: HSBC CFW’s strong association with the fashion fraternity of South
Asia has created an exceptional platform for Sri Lankan designers to showcase
their fashion talent. Over the years, CFW has created reciprocal tie-ups with
prominent international fashion weeks in order to expose Sri Lankan fashion
designers to international design markets and give them the opportunity to
network with the best in the region. In CFW, South Asia has found a unique
platform that brings together designers for fashion interaction.
Commenting on the achievements of HSBC CFW, Ajai Vir
Singh, President, Colombo Fashion Week stated, “Our central premise remains
that the Sri Lankan fashion industry needs to make an international impact, and
for that we need to identify our strengths and play to that. Resortwear is one
such strength as it is a growing category and we are the first fashion week in
Asia where we show it as a formal season. This season and its sensibility
should come naturally to Sri Lankan designers as it has a huge scope for
business. We want to continue building on this and leading it. By god’s grace
we will make an international mark with this.”
Using fashion and resort wear to uplift tourism: The HSBC CFW also supports all efforts to
position Sri Lanka as a leading tourism destination, by showcasing the very
best attractions and locations in the country. The recent Resort edition of CFW
took place in the vibrant town of Negombo, which is home to the oldest fishing
industry in Sri Lanka and provided a colourful cultural and historical setting
for the show. CFW featured the iconic fishing catamarans of Negombo as its main
graphic icon. CFW always draws inspiration from the breath-taking locations the
show is held at and incorporates these aesthetics into the showcase.
Evolving aspects of the show: This year’s Resort edition of the show also
included the ‘Fashion + Food’ series which featured a Michelin star chef and
internationally acclaimed Malaysian chef who created a variety of cuisines that
were inspired by the designs used in the show. CFW also partnered with
restaurants on the Negombo strip to promote the city “.This year’s Resort show
uniquely featured new pop-up stores, an initiative supported by TATA housing
which promoted fashion retail. Following
a competition held for architecture students, two
students were selected to create 20 pop-up stores which sold pieces showcased
at the event.
The
management of CFW is grateful to its likeminded partners who believed in the show’s
vision and helped make it a continuous success. Principle partners- HSBC,
Colombo Jewellery Stores, Land Rover, Jetwing, Ponds, TATA Housing, Vision
Care, Spa Ceylon, Brandix, Wineworld, Hameedia, Hellmann Logistics, Leo
Burnett, Cotton Collection, Ramani
Fernando Salons, Malkey Rent-A-Car, Fashion TV, Daily Mirror, Sunday Times,
Daily FT, Hi!, Lanka Woman and Life-Online.
Tags
Sri Lanka Business