Grand finale
The glorious finale of the HSBC Colombo Fashion Week showcased the work of designers from both home and abroad. Immediately apparent was the very real potential of Sri Lankan designers, with brands like Stringhopper matching their international contemporaries piece for piece.
The best just might have been saved for last. Yolanda, long considered among the foremost Sri Lankan designers, was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The viewing of her collection, which served as the night's finale revealed a designer in her prime, one who continues to create supremely elegant, unique pieces that were all the more appealing because they were eminently wearable.
That the grand finale of every night of the three day event was built around the collection of a Sri Lankan designer is evidence for founder Ajai Vir Singh that rapid progress is being made in the local fashion industry. "By God's grace we had outdone our hopes on all the aspects that we had set ourselves," Ajai told the Sunday Times. He was pleased to have CFW recognize Yolanda along with young designer Deneth, winner of the Gen-next Award, and says Sri Lankan designers have taken it to the next level this year. However, there remains a need for them to work harder on tightening their process, enhancing their global image and improving their supply chains, he added.
The event also succeeded in that it brought down reputed interna- tional designers with new collections to show and wisdom to share. The likes of Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Rizwan Beyg, William Richard Green, Jason and Anshu who participated in the finale were among the many well-known foreign faces in the crowd. "We wanted to find the right kind of international designers to come and collaborate and share their knowledge with Sri Lankan designers," said Ajai. The involvement of supermodel Perine Fernando as their spokesperson has also been wonderful, he said, outlining plans to have Perine become involved with mentorship programmes for young designers and models. "She's worked with the biggest of designers, and we want to use her experience," he explained, adding that her knowledge of collection presentation and styling in particular would provide a real support for new designers who hoped to gain entry into new markets. Already plans are afoot for next year, and Ajai seems to determined to ensure that the Colombo Fashion Week continues to up the ante: "We have to make the Sri Lankan fashion industry shine." Ajai Vir Singh: CFW founder