Dimuthu wins ‘Gen-Next award’ at HSBC Colombo Fashion Week

Tuesday, 10 May 2011 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

HSBC Colombo Fashion Week, from this year, started the Colombo Fashion Week Gen Next award. The award picks one new designer with potential, which is then rewarded in terms of exposure in a bigger market or given resources to take his craft to the next level.

Dimuthu was awarded the CFW Gen Next award for 2011. And his reward was an all expense paid trip to show at high profile IPL fashion shows, which are given tremendous media exposure in India. CFW organising team with its tie-ups with the Indian fashion industry arranged a slot for Dimuthu to show at the high profile IPL fashion show.

“This exposure will give the young designer a taste of a big market it will also help him tremendously as he will be rubbing shoulders with other designers. It’s a bigger stage and hope Dimuthu will use the learning for his betterment,” HSBC Colombo Fashion Week President Ajaiy Virr Singh said.

HSBC Colombo Fashion Week’s key objective is to uplift Sri Lanka’s fashion design industry by providing Sri Lankan designers opportunities and bigger platform in international markets and in Sri Lanka. CFW which started its journey in 2003 started with showcasing just 3 Sri Lankan designers and today it boasts of a lineup of close to 30 Sri Lankan designers. It has been a platform that has successfully given encouragement to young individuals to take up fashion design as a profession.

HSBC CFW has reciprocal tie-ups with the prestigious Russian Fashion Week, Miami Fashion Week, Dubai Fashion Festival and Malaysian Fashion Week. This allows one Sri Lankan designer to showcase at these prestigious international fashion weeks. A joint panel selects the Sri Lankan designer to showcase there.

HSBC CFW is currently working on expanding the local fashion retail infrastructure by working closely with local retailers to include more Sri Lankan designers.

“One of our key tasks this year is to create retail and production environment for the young designers, as we feel that is becoming a big barrier for them as they start. Colombo Fashion Week’s commitment is to Sri Lankan fashion design industry and every plan is made with that perspective,” Ajaiy Virr Singh added.