Coats maps fashion’s new futures and opportunities at MBFW SL

• Coats-Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka 2018 partnership positions world’s leading industrial thread manufacturer as a key representative of the apparel supply chain, as Sri Lanka reaches new frontiers as South Asia’s most progressive fashion destination

The fashion business is undergoing extensive transformation across the world, creating new complexities for its sourcing, manufacturing and retail landscapes. 

In this extreme state of flux, the fashion supply chain has new insight into the solutions and approaches that will help overcome the challenges and discover the opportunities presented by the fourth industrial revolution. For South Asia—a predominant manufacturing region of the world with a new and increasing consumer market for wearables—these complexities translate uniquely. The region’s apparel industry will gather with the global fashion community to discuss the state of the wearables business, at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka—the biggest fashion event to take place in the South Asian creative hub. Coats — the world’s leading industrial thread manufacturer recently announced its support for the event, aiming to share the company’s deep understanding of the fashion business and demonstrate the power of collaborating with design talent upon MBFW’s global platform.

As part of the event, Coats Group Chief Executive Officer Rajiv Sharma will be one of the key speakers at MBFW’s 2018 edition of the South Asian Apparel Leadership Forum. Sharma will discuss how the current transformations will play out for the fashion business, and who will benefit, using Coats’ insight from its global footprint, rich heritage and experience of transitioning economies. 

With this unparalleled view of where major advances will happen in the world of wearables, and the kind of fashion businesses that will be best positioned to reap the rewards or bear the brunt of its disruption, Coats brings key insights from the forefront of the fashion value chain. The forum will host Sharma with several other insightful global speakers and is now open for registrations.

Coats Thread Sri Lanka Commercial Director Jagath Liyanage shared his thoughts and said: “The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is an excellent platform for Coats to partner key players in the Sri Lankan apparel industry as they aim to reach new heights in innovation, garment design, sustainability and speed to market. Coats is proud to be associated with AOD for the event from inception.”

Parallel to this fashion intel and business knowledge sharing, Coats Thread will also be presenting its unusual collaboration with a young designer from AOD to create a one-of-a-kind fashion collection for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Runways Sri Lanka. 

Upcoming AOD designer Mewuni Ranasinghe worked with Coats Thread to develop her collection of denim workwear with layering between embroidery, hand painting and bleaching. The collaboration stems from Coats’ nine year-long partnership with AOD—hosts and organisers of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. 

The collection not only uses Coats’ specialist threads but also shows how fashion innovation can take place through unusual collaborations between fashion academia and progressive value chain partners. Coats is a firm believer in design, knowledge-led development and innovation.  

The company has an important role to play in Lankan apparel’s evolution into an industry with agile business models where the fashion value chain can work hand-in-hand with designers and manufacturers for new outcomes.

Coats Thread is the world’s leading industrial thread manufacturer and a major player in the Americas textiles crafts market. At home in some 50 countries, Coats employs 19,000 people across six continents. Every month Coats produces enough thread to stretch all the way to the sun and each year, Coats invests in research, development and product innovation. Coats’ support of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is rooted in its aim to move forward with design and innovation to leverage on Sri Lanka’s fashion leadership role in the region that can funnel in larger economic gains.

For more information on the runways featuring Coats Thread’s collaborative work with AOD, and for inquiries on registrations for the South Asian Apparel Leadership Forum 2018 featuring Coats Group Chief Executive Officer Rajiv Sharma, contact [email protected] /www.mbfwsrilanka.com.