Colombo Fashion Week 2008

After two successful shows in the last three years, Colombo Fashion Week, with each outdoing the last, is this year adding a day to its former two day weekend format. The Colombo Fashion Week in 2008 rolls out its three year plan that also adds a business and commercial dimension to its original format.

The Colombo Fashion Week will be held on January 27 to 29 with fifteen fashion shows in three days at the Taj Samudra which is the host hotel for the event.

In 2008, the world's local bank, HSBC will be the title sponsor and the event will be called HSBC Colombo Fashion Week. Also for the first time this year, the organizers will be working closely with Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) the apex body of the industry, whose membership represents the Apparel manufacturers in Sri Lanka and the lifestyle brand ODEL.

The Colombo Fashion Week will showcase established Sri Lankan designers, like Yolande Aluvihare, Sonali White, Darshi Keertisena, and Middle Finger along with four new Sri Lankan labels by young Sri Lanka designers. Along with the Sri Lankan designers, there will be three designers from India, one each from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Italy.

"Key objective of this initiative is to uplift the Sri Lankan Fashion design industry by providing opportunities for new designers and bring about freshness in the industry. This can be achieved through regular interaction and exposure with important regional designers." Says Ajai Singh, organizer and founder of the Colombo Fashion Week.

All invited designers are well respected and have had varying levels of international exposure including important fashion weeks.

The young designers will therefore provide an interesting contrast by reflecting this growing aspiration for the creative to excel and provide an important opportunity to learn from others' experiences and start their own in the field.

"With this international scope and recognition, the aim of the show is to strengthen the importance and sensitivity of fashion design to the apparel industry and the opportunities for successful fashion designers. With this rise in the creative fields all over the world, it should only alow for improved aspirations of young designers from all backgrounds in Sri Lanka with a realistic possibility of having a career in fashion design." adds Singh.

Fashion weeks around the world are by far the most glamorous business meetings in the world. This is where designers showcase new designs, manufacturers get orders, and the media communicates and consequently form trends to consumers around the world all leading to demand.

"For Colombo Fashion Week to become an important regional event, it is essential for the apparel manufactures to realise the benefits they can derive from such an event where international media has shown interest. This will also help the industry which is facing strong competition in the region to reflect a strong international image in the media.

Established Sri Lanka designers need to raise their game, target other markets and encourage younger designers to bloom and see the scope which can be." Says Singh The Colombo Fashion Week will be covered by international fashion media like Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Elle, and Femina as well as prominent local media.

Colombo Fashion Week 2008 is an event aiming to promote serious fashion design not merely for entertainment value. The show is open to invites only.