12 emerging designers to take runway at Colombo Fashion Week

• Craft Fashion Fund introduced with two winners

The Emerging Designer Platform stands as the cornerstone of Colombo Fashion Week (CFW), bringing fresh perspectives and innovative creative thinking to the design industry. As a vital component of the fashion supply chain, the platform expands and strengthens the industry’s foundation. CFW has grown this initiative into a comprehensive program that will present 12 promising talents at this edition.

Colombo Fashion Week Founder and Director Ajai Vir Singh states: “The growth of our Emerging Designer Platform reflects our commitment to building a sustainable fashion ecosystem in Sri Lanka. The introduction of the Craft Fashion Fund this year marks a significant milestone in our journey. We’ve seen how traditional crafts have helped establish unique identities for designers in other South Asian countries, and this is Sri Lanka’s opportunity to develop its distinct design language while preserving our artistic heritage.”

The Craft Fashion Fund introduced will select two winners – one focused on batik and a second one that uses any other craft other than Batik – providing crucial support for designers who incorporate Sri Lankan craftsmanship into their collections. This project aims to create a unique identity for Sri Lankan fashion while generating a unique market.

Colombo Fashion Week Director and CEO Fazeena Majeed Rajabdeen added: “Our mentorship program is a rigorous journey of transformation for these designers. Through intensive guidance and practical experience, we help them develop not just their creative skills, but also their business acumen. This comprehensive approach ensures we’re building the next generation of designers who can succeed both creatively and commercially.”

Along with the guidance of the Program Mentor Sharmila Ruberu, this season’s emerging designers include Shri R. Amarasinghe, Thisaru Fernando, Mevini Amarasinghe, Aysha Faizer, Shavindi Wijesooriya, Arsath Furkhan, Devapriya Halwala, Ayani Liyanage, Nilupa Weerakoon, Chihiro Fernando, Nethmi Ranepura, Kamrul Hasan Riad, and Prabadhi Bandara. These promising talents will showcase their collections across four dynamic days of fashion at Shangri-La Colombo on 19 February, Taj Samudra on 20 February, and Cinnamon Grand on 21 and 22 February. This integration throughout the fashion week, rather than limiting emerging designers to a single day, ensures maximum exposure alongside established names in the industry and represents CFW’s commitment to providing meaningful platforms for new talent.

Speaking of the program, Designer and Program Mentor Sharmila Ruberu added: “It has been an absolute pleasure, privilege and an inspiring journey, working together as a team fostering the young designers’ ideas and artisan talents and seeing them morph into what they become.”

The Emerging Designer initiative remains one of CFW’s main pillars, providing an entry point for the next generation to pursue design-based entrepreneurship. Since its inception, the platform has evolved into a sophisticated system that discovers, nurtures, and launches new design talent, with many of today’s established designers having begun their careers through this program.

Colombo Fashion Week 2025 is supported by Mastercard, presenting partner along with Shangri-La, Cinnamon Grand, Taj Samudra, NDB Wealth, Yatra, Ninewells Aesthetic Centre, Tresemme, Vaseline, Juniper, Chupa Chups, Nestle-Nescafe, Vision Care, Knuckles, Hameedia, Ramani Fernando, Wijeya Newspapers, Hard Talk, Acorn and Emerging Media.