The ramp and beyond: SLDF looks at design, culture and identity
Back once again for the 14th year in a row, the Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF) taking place from December 1-3 at the Colombo Innovation Tower offers participants the chance to reflect on the intersectionality of design, culture, and identity through shows, discussions, forums, and exhibitions.
The festival, organised by the Academy of Design (AOD), serves as a collaborative space where both local and global designers can come together to influence the trajectory of design, encouraging the exchange of ideas and techniques.
The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Runways (MBFR) more commonly known as the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka (MBFWSL) will feature the innovative work of AOD designers such as Sandali Fernando with her use of fish skin leather and fish scales, Natasha Welihena and her interesting use of textiles and block print Batik, Thasini Dewapriya with a collection of handloommixed sportswear, and Sanjula Perera’s Techwear, as well as past success stories such as Amesh Wijesekara. In its seventh year, the fashion show will celebrate the seven core pillars that have played a role in its success.
The festival aims to support and promote local design talent and industries with this year’s theme being ‘We, the New Global’, emphasising uniquely Sri Lankan elements to a global audience, enabling them to expand beyond Sri Lanka.
The forum ‘Culture as an Export’, looks at the concept of promoting and sharing a country’s cultural elements such as art, music, literature, and heritage with the rest of the world. Bollywood and Hollywood, K-pop, Jazz, Harry Potter, Anime, and certain sports, all illustrate how aspects of culture can have a profound impact beyond their country of origin, leading to a more interconnected and diverse global cultural landscape.
In Sri Lanka, businesses and products such as Spa Ceylon, Ministry of Crab, Buddhi Batiks, Bathiya and Santush concerts, and the Galle Literary Festival, serve as key differentiators to highlight Sri Lankan culture and reach export markets. Panellists at the forum Giselle Harding, Festival Director of the Galle Literary Festival, and Shalin Balasuriya, Co-founder and Group Director of Spa Ceylon, also Shehara de Silva of John Keells and economist Anushka Wijesinha will share insights at the forum, exploring what these businesses have in common and what can be learned from countries that have developed culture as an export.
Visit https://www.srilankadesignfestival. lk/ for more information and to register for all events.