Styles of innovation
The 2023 Sri Lanka Design Festival ended with the seventh annual Mercedes-Benz Fashion Runways (MBFR), usually titled Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka (MBFWSL). The event allowed graduates of the Academy of Design (AOD) to exhibit their inspired and innovative creations in a runway show on December 2, the third and final day of the festival at the Colombo Innovation Tower.
The evening with the theme ‘The New Global’, consisted of the collections of 35 designers, most of whom were inspired by nature, fashions of the previous eras, and local handcrafts such as beeralu and weaving, incorporating LEDs and fibre optics in their designs. Some designers drew inspiration from Japanese and African cultures and even issues surrounding mental health. The show also featured collections of established designers such as FMLK, SOBOYE, Natharlea, Nithya, and Artroom Ceylon which were interspersed with the graduates’ collections.
Elements of handcraft such as handloom, weaving, beeralu, Dumbara, embroidery, crochet, and Batik were seen in designs by Sanalee Rathnayake, Emisha Kurukulasuriya, Kalathri Guruge and others. Many designers looked outwards to other cultures for inspiration, such as Tihara Silva and Ushara Dharmawardane who drew inspiration from the Land of the Rising Sun - Tihara with her Hakama pleats and colour palette, and Ushara with her nod to the concept of the red thread that connects us humans together.
Benita Odogwu Atkinson and Senuri Dassanayake were inspired by African cultures while the traditional attire of Rajasthan served as an inspiration to Thiyangi Warnakulasuriya who incorporated Dumbara weaving into her collection in a move that fused heritage with contemporary fashion.
Power dressing from the 1980s inspired designers such as Natasha Leanage, Mystica Rameshkumar, and Vindi Samaraweera. Anthony Wijewickrama’s collection took its cue from the complexities of the human mind and documented the designer’s journey through mental health trauma narrated through the use of Batik, crochet, sublimation print, and a black and white colour palette. Januki Karunanayake displayed a 1980s-inspired womenswear collection that also aimed to build awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Shanaya De Silva’s Ocha collection explored the eco-conscious essence of Sri Lanka’s tea industry while Navidu Fernando celebrated the spirit of blue-collar workers from tea-pluckers to miners in a collection that fused style and functional craftsmanship.
Shamra Shiam displayed the beauty of modesty through modern streetwear in an empowering collection inspired by Islamic art and architecture with oversised fits, elaborate sleeves, and hoodies that doubled as hijabs. Vishmi Narthana’s sustainable streetwear collection delved into the LGBTQ community’s emotional spectrum and reflected resilience with the use of used denim, and discarded brocade fabrics.
Sandali Fernando’s collection was inspired by marine life and functionality with the use of ecofriendly materials such as fish skins, bones, and scales. Sara Izzadeen had one of the only collections for menswear which embraced tradition and modernity in weather-appropriate textiles like linen, cotton, wool and silk.