HSBC Colombo Fashion Week’s 2nd Resort Show in Galle on 5-6 October
Friday, 6 September 2013 04:09
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The second edition of the HSBC Colombo Fashion Week Resort Wear Show will be held on 5 and 6 October in Galle. HSBC CFW in its 10th year launched its second annual show last year (2012), which focused on a collection of resort wear outfits; this event was held in Negombo at Jetwing Lagoon. This unique seasonal annual show was well received by the fashion public in both Sri Lanka and the region.
CFW’s vision behind the Resort Wear Show is to create a hub in Sri Lanka for fashion collections focused on resort which includes holiday wear, cruise wear and swimwear.
“We see a unique opportunity for Sri Lanka to become that hub which attracts fashion designers and buyers who want to interact in resort fashion and create commerce. Sri Lanka, a resort destination and surrounded by resorts, from Maldives to Indonesia, makes it the ideal hub for promoting resort wear. We feel that there is room for growth in the resort wear sector and our aim is to lead in the region in this sector. At this point all I can say is we have started well and hope to see the resort wear category grow year on year as we have seen HSBC Colombo Fashion Week grow and of course we hope to boost the local tourism industry in the process,” said Ajai Singh, President Colombo Fashion Week.
Nilantha Bastian, Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management HSBC Sri Lanka said: “We have been with HSBC Colombo Fashion Week since 2008, hence this is a strategic partnership for us. We have also seen its growth and expansion over time, making it a platform to showcase creativity of renowned designers, aspiring young designers and all other integrated partners. As such, we believe this multifaceted event will become a lucrative platform for business opportunities and an exciting event for Galle and our customers, equally.”
HSBC CFW Resort celebrates the historic town of Galle by taking the annual Resort Show there. This year’s show will see 14 shows, seven on each day. Day ones shows will be held at the iconic Galle Fort and the day twos show will be at the timeless Jetwing Lighthouse Hotel, where there will be three international designers and 11 Sri Lankan designers showcasing their resort wear collection.
“Jetwing is a proud partner of the HSBC Colombo Fashion Week, with Jetwing Lighthouse being the official venue for this year’s Resortwear Show. Both the rich history of Galle and Bawa’s architectural genius complement this prestigious event, and we look forward to the display of talented designers from both Sri Lanka and overseas. We believe the CFW brand fits in very well with our reputation for creative and traditional excellence, and wish Ajai and his team all the best success,” said Ishanth Gunewardene, Head of Sales & Marketing, Jetwing Hotels.
This year there will also be two developmental initiatives launched, one focusing on the retail channel and one on the local crafts community. HSBC Colombo Fashion Week will be partnering with the Local Crafts Council of Sri Lanka to provide the necessary exposure for local artisans working with traditional craft techniques. One such technique that has already been promoted via the fashion week platform has been batik with stellar designers flourishing such as Darshi Keerthisena and Sonali Dharmawardena.
On the retail front, Odel will be coming on board as the official Retail Advisor for all designers participating at HSBC Colombo Fashion Week with a focus on three key areas. Odel will provide expertise on Visual Merchandising, Otara Gunewardena sharing her experience and insights on the business of fashion and designers provided the opportunity to retail their collections at Odel. HSBC Colombo Fashion Week has identified the need for designers to have commercial guidance and this partnership aims to close that gap.
Key partners of HSBC Colombo Fashion Week Resort Wear are: title sponsor HSBC, Jetwing Lighthouse the destination partner, ODEL, Colombo Jewellery Stores, Tag Heuer, Hameedia, Land Rover, Spa Ceylon, Rayban, Dialog TV, The Wijeya Group, Ramani Fernando Salons, British Council, Leo Burnett and Hellmann Logistics.
