SLDF 2013 debuts at London Fashion Week

• AOD international campus, commended as the best design campus in Sri Lanka

The fifth edition of the premier creative showcase of Sri Lanka to the world ‘Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF) 2013’ was launched at the world’s creative hub in UK the ‘London Fashion Week’ in the presence of the Sri Lanka High Commissioner to the UK Dr. Chris Nonis and the Lingerie queen of UK founder and CEO of ULTIMO/MJM International Michelle Mone.

This was held as part of the Sri Lankan showcase in the segment ‘International Fashion Showcase (IFS)’ of the London Fashion Week 2013. Sri Lanka received the opportunity to showcase at this international due to the strong design contribution submissions of the Academy of Design (AOD), the sought after International design campus in Sri Lanka.

The founder of AOD Linda Speldewinde commenting on this accolade said that Sri Lankan youth talent must be given a platform to showcase their talent as their creativity is world class: “The acceptance of SLDF to be launched at the London Fashion Week is a win for Sri Lanka and the creative talent of the country.

“AOD being the creative input to Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF) gives the linkage for supply chain development that makes the demand chain credibility higher,” the Sri Lankan design education icon, Linda Speldewinde said.

Following 2012’s SLDF, AOD was commended by international media including the world renowned Textile Magazine’s celebratory 25th issue this January that wrote ‘Sri Lanka’s Academy of Design (AOD) is a proactive campus offering international standard design undergraduate design education (in partnership with UK’s Northumbria University design). This 11-year-old vigorous college already with a solid reputation for design success, trains young designers to enter fashion, textile and design industries. But, AOD clearly extends its mission beyond education with SLDF.”

The other key personalities present at this unique event were the British Council country director to Sri Lanka Tony Reilly and SLDF board chairman Nikhil Hirdaramani. The SLDF launch was held as part of this unique Sri Lankan showcase at London’s legendary design school Central Saint Martins’ former building.

The event attracted top design, fashion and apparel industry personalities from the global creative industries that are keen to link with Sri Lankan apparel and the creative SME sectors. The launch included a preview to this year’s Sri Lanka Design Festival through the world-class Sri Lankan design talent exhibited at the Sri Lankan showcase for IFS 2013 London Fashion Week.

British fashion business tycoon Michelle Mone spoke at the event and announced her business interest in Sri Lanka which was sparked through SLDF 2012 edition that generated great success for the event in the Sri Lankan economy that registered a 6.4% GDP growth in 2012.

Mone mentioned Sri Lanka as a place that offered ease of business and its growing opportunities in design and green lingerie manufacturing technology promised the future of her multi-billion pound lingerie brand to be set in the South Asian Island.

The International launch established SLDF’s commitment towards expanding Sri Lanka’s multi-billion Dollar apparel industry to meet creative industries from the UK and the rest of the world. Building on this international success, the festival will gather the best of Sri Lankan design, fashion, apparel design and manufacturing technology as well as heritage crafts inspired contemporary product design and take place at the end of September 2013 in Sri Lanka.

The event calendar promises to include the previous successes, the seminal South Asian Apparel Leadership Forum, The apparel industry fashion show, Island crafts exhibition and several new additions that will include the growing sectors of Sri Lankan advertising and graphic design.

Sri Lanka Design Festival is conceptualised and driven by the international design campus, AOD and is supported by top apparel and business organisations and professionals hailing the potential of Sri Lankan design for national development.

To find out more, call AOD on 0115 867 772/3, email [email protected], log on to www.aod.lk or visit their campus at No. 29 Lauries Road Colombo 4.