Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week 2017 in Sri Lanka to elevate the local apparel and fashion industry to a prestigious g lobal platform
Event to unfold this October in Colombo as a powerful coalition between AOD and DIMO endorsed by Sri Lanka Apparel
Sri Lanka’s power industry—fashion and apparel, is scheduled to display its capabilities in design and valueadded fashion manufacturing upon a powerful global stage that reaches audiences worldwide. An official MercedesBenz Fashion Week was announced to take place in Sri Lanka for the first time, celebrating the evolution of the island’s remarkable fashion and apparel industry. A joint venture conceptualized by AOD and hosted by the official custodians of the MercedesBenz brand in Sri LankaDIMO. A mega-event that has received the support of Sri Lanka Apparel, MercedesBenz Fashion Week will be held as a four-day long event this October at the MercedesBenz centre DIMO 800 in Colombo 2. The event aims to highlight Sri Lanka’s massive apparel manufacturing industry and its impressive capabilities as it transforms to a value-added design to delivery full-spectrum service destination for fashion, along with events curated around showcasing the nation’s fashion heritage, emerging design talent and upcoming brands. The fashion week is also presenting opportunities for insights into fashion education and fashion knowledge sharing, allowing the industry, next generation of fashion professionals, academia and students to access new knowledge. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week aims to position Sri Lanka’s apparel industry at the forefront of technological- ly, creatively and sustainably sound fashion manufacturing, to build its reputation to establish Sri Lanka as the contemporary hub of design, fashion and innovation in South Asia.
The main attraction of the event- the fashion runways are structured around three main categories that make up the local fashion sphere: the new Sri Lankan style that epitomizes the contemporary fashion signature arising from the country, the worldclass fashion manufacturing and design from the apparel industry and the emerging fashion talent of the country. The first day of MercedesBenz Fashion Runways at SLDF encompasses ‘a new Sri Lankan style’, which establishes a new aesthetic unique to the island; this will incorporate cutting edge fashion innovation with low-tech traditional craft. It stands against the popular notion that fashion and style is limited to Colombo, by facilitating collaborations between contemporary designers with artisans from Northern Sri Lanka to the depths of the South. The second day of the runway is dedicated to the local fashion industry which encapsulates an attractive new fashion proposition from Sri Lanka by marrying the superior advances in tech and sustainability that the industry is known for, with the homegrown design talent to present ‘designed and made in Sri Lanka’. This is a powerful value added manufacturing proposition which elevates Sri Lanka into a fashion hub that hands the full service spectrum from design to delivery, to a global audience of fashion authorities in buying, design, retail and media, allowing this new proposition from Sri Lanka Apparel to reach the right networks. The final runway of the series will be an energetic insight to the future, providing a platform to young design graduates who will go on to enrich the growing fashion brand and retail sphere in the island or join the creative task force of Sri Lanka’s fashion industry. The knowledge sharing sessions at the fashion week includes the South Asian Apparel Leadership Forum which is perhaps the most influential meeting-ofminds for Sri Lankan fashion, while the new additionFemale Futures Forum will explore the internationally popular current topic of maximizing the power of the female workforce, which is especially relevant for the local apparel industry that employs a massive number of women. In addition, a series of fashion workshops, talks and networking events will also take place as part of the fashion week, allowing young designers, fashion entrepreneurs and students to draw in knowledge and inspiration from fashion and design experts from all over the world. A fashion pop-up store is also scheduled to be part of the fashion week allowing a new retail experience at the event while a graduate talent showcase exhibition will be held throughout the event supporting the next generation of stars in Sri Lankan fashion.
Mercedes-Benz is a household name across the globe and is known as an icon of style. As part of its international brand philosophy, Mercedes-Benz supports fashion innovation all over the world. This is what DIMO is bringing over to Sri Lanka in collaboration with AOD to jointly present an event from the world’s foremost chain of fashion weeks, in Sri Lanka. With the recognition and worldwide networks that Mercedes-Benz fashion weeks bring in, the event will attract a global audience of media, fashion opinion leaders, academics, designers and entrepreneurs. With this massive, international fashion grid, local fashion becomes part of a global network that brings about recognition and opportunities that were inaccessible before. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will be held between 27th – 30th October 2017.
Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is Conceptualized by - AOD along with the DIMO Mercedes- Benz as Fashion Runways Partner, Endorsement Partners - EDB & JAAF, Industry Patrons - MAS Holdings, Brandix and Hirdramani, Thread & Zip Partner - COATS, Fashion Retail Partner -Fashionmarket.lk, Hair & Makeup - Salon KESS, Official Host - Mount Lavinia Hotel, Official, Airline Partner - Etihad, Technology Partner - GT Nexus, Cultural Partners - German Embassy of Sri Lanka & Brazilian Embassy - Sri Lanka. Print Media Partners – Wijeya, Online Media Partner - Life Online, Beverage Partner - Freelanka, Official Telecommunications Partner - Dialog Print Partner - Softwave and Paper Partner - Papyrus. For tickets, reservations and more information call 0115867772/3 or log on to www.mblwsrilanka.com