CJS in trumpet call for elephants in the wild at HSBC CFW 2015
Thursday, 19 March 2015 00:04
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Infinitely majestic; infinitely memorable; infinitely ‘unforgettable’! Colombo Jewellery Stores stepped out of convention and into championing, ‘A Future in the Wild’ to save Sri Lanka’s elephant in the wild at this year’s HSBC Colombo Fashion Week 2015. Blending the unique balance of nature and the wild and contemporary elegance to permeate the message of elephant conservation, the CJS story on the CFW catwalk began with a touch of the unconventional, urging those in the audience to immerse themselves into the sounds of the wild, unencumbered with visuals. Just complete blackness and the persuasive voice of CJS Brand Ambassador Jacqueline Fernandez’s powerful message to save the elephant in the wild.
With this compelling beginning, the show opened to a coterie of male models clad in artfully draped jungle camouflage sarongs, holding placards that visually presented the message of the CJS and Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society collaboration, working in the remote villages of Pussellayaya and Weheragalagama in Wasgamuwa, home to about 350 elephants.
The power of the word was surely the ideal setting for the spotlight to fall on the Unforgettable Collection itself, designed specifically by CJS Chairman Akram Cassim, a wildlife enthusiast himself, inspired and influenced primarily to highlight the majesty of the elephant in the beauty of the wild.
With models donning safari gear in hues of greens, rusts and browns, accessorised elegantly with just the right props to create an artistic canvas for the Collection, the beautifully hand-crafted masterpieces were brought to the fore. A breathtaking collection of earrings, bangles and bracelets unfolded in settings that were slightly abstract but ingeniously blended into the contemporary and the classic. The designs inspired uniqueness, magnificence and were, simply unforgettable.
Nature’s multi-hued palette in the wild was amazingly glorified as swirling diamonds glistened like dewdrops; emeralds echoed running waters to immerse reflections of interspersed fern fronds secreted in its depths. Multi-coloured flora showed up in the sparkling resplendence of amethysts, sapphires, rubies and citrines. Reds, blues, golds, purples and greens, reminiscent of nature swathed in absolute exultation on double sided chandelier earrings, textured bracelets and swirling bangles.
Ending the collection to resounding applause, comments from those on the final day of HSBC CFW 2015 was not only about Unforgettable reiterating the CJS magic of understated elegance being the hallmark of any CJS collection. It was also that the strong passion for saving elephants in the wild and reducing human-elephant conflict had cascaded, with the unusual creativity and uniqueness that permeated the entire show. “It was not simply about showing a collection but about ensuring that the collection carried the message of saving the elephants in the wild right through, to all of us,” said one enthusiastic fashion proponent.
Having given a message at the beginning of the show, Cassim continues to push the CJS Social Responsibility platform of seeking sustainable solutions for the villagers to live unitedly with the elephant in the wild, encouraging a cohesive tolerance and a habitat that would encourage co-existence rather than conflict. “By showcasing the wild in its extraordinary beauty, what I want is for CJS to highlight the need for elephant conservation and this partnership with the SLWCS can make that difference,” he articulated at the end of the show. “Our first step is to reduce and if possible eliminate the human-elephant conflict, which is widely prevalent in these two villages.”
In fact, in November last year, Cassim together with Jacqueline and President of the SLWCS Ravi Corea visited the villages, taking a walk along the elephant corridor and gleaning information about elephant issues plaguing the villages from its inhabitants. All this, while elephants enjoyed the serenity of the wild in the distance, albeit keeping a watchful eye on the walkers. This is also a pioneering social responsibility effort in Sri Lanka, given that CJS is the only local corporate entity to partner an international celebrity for an environmental cause.
CJS and SLWCS have already begun instituting some solutions including funding citrus cultivation as an alternative crop, installing electric fences, commissioning an Ele-Alert elephant intrusion early warning system and emulating beehive fences, which in fact, is a first for Sri Lanka. Akram also mentions a fund-raising campaign that will begin soon to purchase an ‘Ele-Friendly’ bus for the village to ensure safe conveyance for the villages’ inhabitants, while also engaging in educating multiple stakeholders on the dire need to maintain the ecological balance of this pachyderm, who is so symbolic of Sri Lanka’s cultural image.
“It is vital that we stop the annual loss of almost 5% of our estimated 5,000 wild elephant population dwindling even further. At this rate, in 25 years time, elephants will be relegated to photographs, in captivity or in protected areas, never in the glory of the wild. It is our duty and responsibility then to make sure that doesn’t happen,” concludes Cassim.
