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Hair, in all its crowning glory, took centre stage as the graduating class of the Sunsilk Ramani Fernando Hair and Beauty Academy displayed their talent and skill at a glittering graduation ceremony at the Colombo Hilton recently.
Spanning across fantasy, intricacy and simplicity, the graduating class pulled out all the stops to put their skills with hair and beauty on display in a stunning tribute to themselves and the institution that helped bring their dreams to fruition.
This year marks the ninth graduation of the Sunsilk Ramani Fernando Hair and Beauty Academy – a milestone partnership between Sunsilk and hair and beauty icon Ramani Fernando that has contributed immensely to the development of the hair and beauty industry in Sri Lanka, for close to a decade.
Speaking at the event, Ramani said she was ‘amazed by the skill and talent of our graduates, which seems to increase each year. Their hard work and dedication to perfecting their craft heartens me and assures me that the high levels in the industry today will only increase over time.
“The talent we see here today strongly affirms the contribution that the Sunsilk Ramani Fernando Academy is making to the hair and beauty industry in Sri Lanka. As a top notch and eminently recognized Academy that continues to raise the bar with each succeeding year, it plays an invaluable role in guiding and shaping the industry’s future,” said Siddarth Banerjee, Marketing Director, Home & Personal Care and Water, Unilever Sri Lanka.
Sunsilk Sri Lanka, which is one of the fastest-growing Sunsilk businesses in the world, offers 24 scholarships to young aspiring individuals from all walks of life to study at the Sunsilk Ramani Fernando Hair and Beauty Academy each year. This year Sunsilk offered 10 scholarships to wives of war veterans in a new partnership with the Seva Vanitha unit of the Army.
The event showcased hair sculpture, creative hair styling, hair colour, paper dresses by fashion designer Lonali Rodrigo, Senaka De Silva (fashion designer and choreographer) & students, red carpet glitterati by Aslam Hussein of Gee Bees Design Studio, and a la mode outfits by Fouzul Hameed of Hameedias.
The fusion of fashion and style, glamour and beauty came together in a dazzling event choreographed by Senaka de Silva.
Chief Guest Rosy Senanayake paid tribute to Ramani and Sunsik, noting that, ‘hard work, dedication and a commitment to unfailingly delivering the best is the hallmark of these two forces.’
Dinesha Harshani Jayaratne who was a scholarship student was awarded the Best Sunsilk student Award – a valuable Rs. 50,000 prize award as a financial foundation to set up her own salon. Ushani Nayantara who won this Award at last year’s graduation today runs her own salon in her hometown of Galle.
Guided by its partnership with City & Guilds, the Academy has for many years been offering internationally accepted professional qualifications to aspiring hairdressers and beauticians in Sri Lanka, providing them with the expertise and foundation to hold their own among the very best, noted Mufthy Hashim, Regional Director of City & Guilds South Asia.
Charithra Perera Dissanayake received the City and Guilds International Medal of Excellence in the Diploma in Hair Dressing.
Since its inception, the Academy has paved the way for over 4,000 students to embark on promising careers in beauty care and grooming, enabling them to take Ramani’s advice: Dream big – and live your dream.
