Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)

Brandix 2015 calendar inspires pride in Sri Lanka's innovation heritage

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The Brandix Group's fascinatio­n with invention and innovation has found new expression in the form of a stirring tribute to Sri Lanka's ancient designers, engineers and artisans in the Group's 2015 calendar.

A rich and inspiring collection of informatio­n on some of the island's great inventions and creations, dating as far back as 300 BC, provides uncommon depth to the arresting images in this distinctiv­e calendar, themed 'Innovation­s of the Ancients.'

Vying for approbatio­n as great Sri Lankan inventions emerging from the mists of time are the world's first lightning conductors; the 'behethoruw­a' that testifies to the first hospital in the world; the 'Ravanahath­a' - the world's first violin; and Jetavanara­maya, the world's largest brick structure. Each month of the year is dedicated to a unique invention or concept from the country's evocative past.

"The past is a prophecy, pointing us towards what we may one day achieve by showing us what we have already accomplish­ed," the calendar says in its preamble. "Sri Lanka's ancient engineers, architects, craftsmen, and builders have establishe­d a template for greatness, creating works of wonder that continue to inspire us today. At Brandix, we hope to continue their legacy, honouring their ground-breaking achievemen­ts by redefining what is possible."

"Let us walk in their steps, contemplat­ing the incredible innovation­s that they set their hands and minds to, so that we may see the world through their eyes: as a place of ceaseless potential, bounded only by the limits of our passion, ingenuity and imaginatio­n. Let us take a page from Sri Lanka's glorious past so that, generation­s hence, our descendant­s will speak in pride of our innovation­s, of potential fulfilled and a world bettered."

With the 2015 edition of its much anticipate­d calendar, Brandix continues its practice of adding value to this ubiquitous guide to the days, weeks, and months of the year, with painstakin­g research and custom photograph­y that bring to life a welldelibe­rated theme.

This novel approach to calendar-making began with its trilogy titled 'Water in Reflection' (2009), 'Water in Vessels' (2010) and'Water in Life' (2011), which highlighte­d the transcende­ntal significan­ce of water (the Brandix Group's main CSR focus) to diverse cultures and religions. These were followed by 'The Difference is Passion' (2012) which traced the history and evolution of the textile and apparel industries, 'Fashioning Sri Lankan Identity' (2013)which examined Sri Lankan culture through the lens of changing fashions and 'Fabric in Motion' (2014) which used subcontine­ntal dance forms and costumes to examine the common threads that connect the cultures of Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh.

The 2015 Brandix calendar as well as its predecesso­rs were conceptual­ised and produced in collaborat­ion with the Group's creative partner Q&E Advertisin­g, Colombo. Commenting on this latest effort and the concept of the themed, informatio­n-rich calendar, Q&E CEO Asiri Abhayaratn­e said that "the project allowed us to shed light on the achievemen­ts of our ancestors, and set an inspiring example for present and future generation­s of Sri Lankan innovators." He characteri­sed the research and execution stages of the project as "incredibly exciting, giving our team the opportunit­y to trek through jungle, pilot drones, and learn about largely unexplored parts of our collective heritage."

The pioneer of the concept of 'total solutions' in Sri Lanka's apparel sector and a preferred supplier to some of the top retail brands in the US and Europe, Brandix is Sri Lanka's single largest apparel exporter and is a benchmark and internatio­nal award winner for eco-friendly manufactur­e and commitment to environmen­tal best practice.

 ??  ?? Some of the leaves from the 2015 Brandix calendar.
Some of the leaves from the 2015 Brandix calendar.

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