Tuesday Nov 26, 2024
Tuesday Nov 26, 2024
Tuesday, 12 March 2013 01:22 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Having completed a three-calendar cycle that explored Sri Lankans’ relationship with water – ‘Water in Vessels,’ ‘Water in Reflection’ and ‘Water in Life’ – Brandix and Q&E embarked on an ambitious new investigation for the 2013 edition of the Brandix calendar.
Like the ‘Water’ trilogy of calendars, the latest edition, entitled ‘Fashioning Sri Lankan Identity,’ also examines Sri Lankan culture, this time through the lens of changing Sri Lankan fashions. All photographs were taken by Luxman Nadarajah, one of Sri Lanka’s most celebrated lensmen, who continues his collaboration with Q&E and Brandix to stunning effect here.
The creative team at Q&E that was responsible for the conceptualisation and production of the calendar conducted extensive research, combing through archival materials and interviewing experts in order to bring the history of Sri Lankan fashion to life.
Led by Senior Art Director, Nishantha Gammudhuwatte, the team was supplemented by set and costume designers, tailors, and a platoon of other specialists. Speaking about the work that culminated in the 2013 Brandix calendar, Nishantha noted that “everyone involved was passionate about getting the details right, whether it was procuring a Turkish fez or making sure that a jug was properly weathered.”
The result, a lavishly produced calendar cum photographic essay, covers the rich diversity of dress in Sri Lanka, from the pre-Vijayan era to colonial times, untangling some of the threads that connect our past to our present.
Proceeding on the premise that the clothes we wear are an indicator of social, economic, religious, and ethnic identity, the 12 leaves of the calendar document the ways in which Tamil, Muslim, Sinhalese and Burgher costumes have adapted to changing times. For example, the Muhandiram’s attire reflected the influence of both the coloniser and the colonised, comprising a black Western-inspired jacket and a native sarong.
‘Fashioning Sri Lankan Identity’ argues that these adaptations can be seen as innovations which served the interests of the wearer and others. Ultimately, it posits the idea that “the history of Sri Lankan costumes is a history of innovation, one that speaks volumes about our continuing, ever-evolving quest for comfort, protection, and status.”
Through its advances in garment technology, Brandix is heir to this Sri Lankan heritage of innovation, adapting its products to suit the needs of customers from around the world.
