Look out for the young ones making a splash
When Swim Week Colombo’s Luxury Resortwear Edition hits the ramp at the ShangriLa Hotel Colombo this week, the Emerging Designer Showcase on July 6 and 7 will once again provide a platform for young designers. Showcasing their swim and resort wear collections will be Anushika Perera, Yathra Jayawardane, Marlon Rae, Nayani Fernando, Himashi Wijeweera and Udaya Wickramasinghe.
Anushika Perera, a past pupil of Ladies’ College and graduate of the Department of Integrated Design, University of Moratuwa, in Fashion and Lifestyle Design has taken part in the Project Seven programme of Colombo Fashion Week and has been showcasing at Colombo Fashion Week since 2016.
Predominantly of linen, her collection has a natural vibe with simple silhouettes. The concept is Existence and the colour palette is earthy - olive green, dark brown, beige and mustard.
Yathra Jayawardane following in the footsteps of her grandmother, the batik pioneer Swanee Jayawardene, presents an avant-garde fusion of batik tie and dye. Yathra’s focus is on the unique, oneoff quality of batik. Her inspiration stems from the individuality expressed by every woman that is reflected in the unrepeatable quality of batik.
Yathra’s new collection gives prominence to the no make-up and natural look that highlights the outfit worn to the beach. The colours of her pure cotton and silk batik swimwear and resort wear, are centred around the water element, with greens, blues and beachy hues.
Finding interest in fashion design while interning at the Design Cafe during his teens, Marlon Ray started studying pattern making and fashion development at the Brandix College of Clothing Technology. Marlon’s brand Maluba is tropical clothing with a modern twist.
His new collection Common Ground, essentially embodying equality between the sexes has a colour palette fluctuating between warm and cool colours, with orange and light green as staples. Patterns and extravagant trims will be a feature of the collection.
Nayani -Nayani Fernando’s label uses refined silhouettes and sophisticated fabrics representing opulence, elegance and finesse.
Inspired by the De Stijl Art movement and paintings by Theo van Doesburg, the collection is essentially minimalist. Bright colours such as orange, red and blue form the basis of the colour palette.
A graduate of the Department of Integrated Design, University of Moratuwa specializing in fashion design, Himashi Wijeweera’s brand ‘HIMANSHI’ targets the high-end resort and occasional wear clothing market.
Her collection ‘Dawn to dusk’ is for the sophisticated woman who makes a fashion statement wherever she goes. The colours of the sky during dawn and dusk are the inspiration that creates the mood of a tropical island. The loose fitting garments with an edgy look make the wearer effortlessly cool.
A graduate from the Department of Integrated Design, University of Moratuwa, Fashion and Textile Designer Udaya Wickramasinghe’s focus is on creating interdisciplinary design solutions.
Working with local handknitting weavers Udaya looks to use their techniques and skills to create different textures for his collection Indigo skin. The colours that will be highlighted are dark blue, light blue and all shades of blue in between. The idea behind the collection is to create a responsible second skin (clothing).
Look out for these exciting new names on the ramp.