SL Design Festival 2011 set for ‘Close-up’ on fashion, apparel, design and craft sectors

The Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF) 2011 is conceptualised by the Academy of Design (AOD), Sri Lanka’s leading design campus. AOD organises the festival in close association with industry leaders and the Government.

The festival will be held this November at Mount Lavinia Hotel and the event is to take place under the theme of ‘Close-up on Sri Lanka,’ extending an open invitation to the world to take a look at Sri Lanka’s potential to lead in design and creativity.

As Sri Lanka’s pioneering creative dynamic, AOD organises the design festival annually to highlight the country’s creative wealth in several sectors like apparel industry, fashion, design and crafts.

AOD has established creativity’s role in development by fusing the major creative-based industries like apparel manufacturing with young design talent, by raising the bar in creative education and by implementing model projects in craft revival with design intervention.

Therefore, Sri Lanka is now uniquely positioned to set an example on utilising design and creativity for socioeconomic development, as the island makes use of its human, natural and cultural resources for development. SLDF is the single major, international platform that shows these creative and sustainable developmental solutions to the rest of the world.

With SLDF 2011’s fascinating ‘Close-up on Crafts,’ the festival will highlight livelihood development and craft revival projects involving artisan communities in the north and east regions, traditional craft communities in the Central and Southern Provinces and an exciting new weaving project in Divulapitiya under the Government’s ‘Liya Abhimani’ project.

The ‘Close-up on Crafts’ will feature home-ware, fashion and product design through an exhibition, a pop-up store and a fashion show. SLDF 2009/10 managed to secure international retailers like ASOS UK to work with artisans along with local retailers. SLDF 2011 is confident on establishing more market links for local crafts.

Sri Lanka’s largest and the most influential export industry, the apparel trade, will be again be a main focus of the event. The most prestigious apparel forum in South Asia, the South Asian Apparel Leadership Forum that has so far tackled pressing issues and ground-breaking plans of the Sri Lanka apparel industry such as the GSP plus trade benefit, investment in sustainability and going green, etc. will go on to discuss topics such as design technology and re-balancing of apparel production that will impact the course of the industry. A close-up on fashion will come through SLDF’s industry fashion show and exhibitions.

SLDF is known for bringing down big names in international graphics and advertising, such as Barry Schwartz – co-founder of ADDIKT award-winning design firm from Amsterdam and Rajesh Dahiya of Co-design India. This will help share global design knowledge with local designers through the festival’s many shows, forums and workshops.

The festival, endorsed by its key stakeholders Sri Lanka Apparel and the Ministry of Economic Development, is supported by Coats – Official Thread Partner, Textured Jersey – Official Fabric Partner, Trade Card – Official Software Partner, Hellmann – Official Shipping and Logistics Partner, SriLankan Airlines – Official Airline, Mount Lavinia Hotel – Official Host, Bates Strategic Alliance PR – Communications Partner, Images India – Indian Media Partner, Fashion TV – Fashion Media Partner, Social mIdea – Social Media Partner, Norwegian Embassy – Cultural Partner, Addikt Design Movement – Motion Graphics Partner and British Council –Knowledge Partner.

For more information on the festival log on to www.srilankadesignfestival.com, or contact the SLDF Secretariat at  29, Lauries Road, Colombo 4 on +94 11 5737303.