Indo-Singaporean fashion extravaganza ‘Threads of Time’ in September

Threads of Time, an Indo, Singaporean fashion extravaganza will be staged by Anita Dorai and Kavita Thulasidas bringing the best of Western and Eastern chic in a collection of exquisite designer wear that is cutting edge, breathtaking and unique, yet wearable and of course affordable.

The designer, Singaporean Kavita Thulasidas who is of Indian origin is the Creative and Managing Director of Stylemart Bridal Collection Ltd. since 1999. She studied in Perth Western Australia at Prebyterian Ladies College and moved to live in France till she returned to Singapore in 1998.

In 1999, Kavita formally took over the management reins of Stylemart. Stylemart proved to be a worthy testing ground for Kavita’s courage and integrity. What unfolded in the next 20 years is the inspiring story of one woman’s vision and determination of steering an enterprise to reach stellar heights.

The show is being presented by Anita Dorai, also a Singaporean of Indian origin who has long been an ardent fashionista and a lover of all things beautiful. Anita who now calls Sri Lanka home, is married to businessman Prithiv Dorai and has plans to stage many fashion and other spectacular productions on a regular basis in Sri Lanka.

Threads of Time will see both Sri Lankan and foreign models on the ramp, while the show will be choreographed by Brian Kerkoven and produced and managed by Anusha David of Headlines PR and Imran Saibo of Funtime.

“To date we have Seylan Bank, Porsche and South Asian Textiles on board as sponsors while the Hilton will be our partner hotel and Ramani Fernando Salons our hair and beauty partner,” said Anita. “Over 100 exclusive outfits will be showcased on 2 September at the Hilton ballroom with all of them being on sale the next day, while choice wines, canapés, and a gourmet dinner will be served at the show which is strictly for invitees only.” According to Anita their decision to limit Threads of Time to invitees was to ensure the exclusive nature of the event and showcase Kavita’s designs to those who would genuinely appreciate her work

“Our invitees will be confined to the crème de la crème of Sri Lanka’s Corporate and Social elite, while a substantial donation will go to Heart to Heart, a charity both my husband and I support.”

Once she took over the reins of Stylemart, Kavita quickly identified the need for a change in the management strategy, and the need to create a new niche in the market. Within a year, she established Stylemart Bridal Collection Ltd. Focusing on an area of specialisation, Kavita started catering to a growing demand in the bridal segment. Today Stylemart is a high end fashion label, thanks to Kavita’s tireless focus on branding, customer service and her personal charisma and creativity.

A gifted fashion designer and an innately creative individual, she never had to take a formal course in fashion design but learnt the ropes through experience and mentorship from her mother Huri Baxani. Kavita comes from three generations of the fashion industry as her grandfather had a tailoring shop doing suits for the British officers during the 1950s and her mother was the first to bring high end Indian fashion to Singapore in early 1980. Kavita continues to update her skills with current courses in fashion at Central Saint Martin London and the London School of Fashion.

At 18 Kavita presented her first solo fashion show at The Hyatt Regency in 1993 and since then the event has grown into an annual affair. Last year, 2017 was Kavita’s 25th annual fashion show. Her fashion shows in Singapore have become a sought after yearly affair that gets televised on Zee TV Asia Pacific for the past eight years in over 18 countries regionally.

Born, brought up and educated in Singapore, Anita did her degree in Sales and Marketing in Singapore where she ran a successful business dealing in high end Sports cars for 12 years, prior to which she worked at Price Waterhouse.

 “Living in Singapore is very different to living in Sri Lanka. Singapore has a high level of discipline and efficiency. Sri Lanka needs to develop much more in terms of infrastructure. However having said that Sri Lanka is a very beautiful country with friendly and heart warming people. However Singapore will always remain home to me, which is why I wanted to start staging Singaporean shows here in Sri Lanka. I have always been interested in fashion and grooming. How we carry ourselves is largely dependent on what we wear and what we wear is very much influenced by both the media and our personal experiences. 

“Having lived in Sri Lanka over the last five years, I have observed how many women desire the stylish and elegant synergy between the eastern exotic and western chic, yet are cloistered and restricted due to the limited fashion scene. It is for this reason that I picked Kavita Thulasidas as the designer for this fashion show. Kavita’s styles have appealed to both Indians and non-Indians alike. She combines comfort with class and style with sophistication. She advocates staying rooted to the Asian culture through the detailing in her clothes, yet is modern and progressive in her fabric and cut – a concept I can truly identify with.”

Extravagant sets, breathtaking outfits, gorgeous models, a mind blowing production and scintillating entertainment will all be hallmarks of Threads of Time, which Anita promises will be a fashion show like no other.