CFW Luxury Resortwear edition from 29-30 November

From left: Ramani Fernando Salons Founder Ramani Fernando, Unilever Sri Lanka Marketing Director Shamara Silva, Shangri-La Colombo General Manager Herve Duboscq, CFW Founder and MD Ajai Vir Singh, Hameedia Group MD Fouzul Hameed, and Vision Care GM Harsha Maduranga

By Divya Thotawatte 

In its 20th year, Colombo Fashion Week (CFW) organisers have announced that its Luxury Resortwear edition will be held 29-30 November with an emphasis on circularity and fashion as a soft power as CFW continues to expand internationally. 

The Luxury Resortwear edition will have a special focus on craftsmanship, occasionwear and sophisticated resortwear, combined with a renewed focus on circularity systems in fashion. This edition of CFW will also see the relaunch of Fashion Design Council of Sri Lanka (FDCL), an initiative to provide key support to the Sri Lankan fashion industry and designer fraternity. 

There will be 10 designers, including Charini Suriyage, Amilani Perera, Asanka De Mel, Fouzul Hameed, Dinushi Pamunuwa, Kamil Hewawitharana and Karma, showcasing over two days. Prominent designers from India and Pakistan will also participate in the show, making it a South Asian affair. Over the years CFW has developed into a South Asian platform in which influential designers from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have consistently showcased their work. 

CFW Founder Ajai Vir Singh said: “This year, our journey is expanding where we will bring in important sustainability tools, like the Circular Design Mindset, which means that designers need to attempt to design in a circular way instead of a linear way, where any adverse impact on the environment is negated.”

The Circular Design Mindset is a sustainability workshop under the Responsible Fashion Summit which will be open for all designers and students interested in the subject. Therefore, this year’s edition would be beyond a good show, it is much deeper with its message of Circularity in Fashion, he explained. 

The showcase will be hosted by Shangri-La Colombo. Speaking about this partnership, Shangri-La Colombo General Manager Herve Duboscq said: “Over the years, we have witnessed the transformative impact of Colombo Fashion Week, propelling numerous fashion brands to global acclaim and significantly contributing to industry growth. The values upheld by Colombo Fashion Week perfectly align with our dedication to do good and host our guests to the colourful joys of life. We take pride in contributing to the journey towards a more dynamic and fashion-forward Sri Lanka.”

Nations Trust Bank Chief Marketing Officer Sanjaya Senarath also spoke on the partnership between NTB and American Express with CFW that was taking place for the seventh consecutive year. He said that this partnership highlighted their dedication towards supporting entrepreneurship and the Sri Lankan fashion industry while allowing the bank’s high-end card segment to experience the fashion experience offered by CFW. 

He explained, “We are pleased to partner with CFW in its 20th year and to be a part of its continued mission to showcase the best of Sri Lankan fashion design. The Luxury Resortwear edition will be a similarly exciting initiative for its participants, including our American Express Cardmembers and Private Banking members in the premium market segment who have an appreciation for fashion.”

The main partners of the Luxury Resortwear edition are Shangri-La Colombo, Nations Trust Bank, American Express, Lakme, Tressemme, Vision Care, Hameedia, Ramani Salons, Wijeya Newspaper, Hardtalk and Emerging Media.

Pix by Sameera Wijesinghe