S L Dress Designer's creation fetches Rs 300,000:

Lankan designer glides on Sweden catwalk

Buyer prepared to pay any sum:

By Mahes Perera

Shashi Ericson hands over the cheque for Rs 3 lakhs to Sabry Junaid

It was a night for surprises, so she was told, and Shashi Ericson wondered what the finale of the Sunday Observer CATS Designer of the Year 2012 would turn out to be. She had attended some other fashion displays in Sri Lanka but what she was searching for was not available for her. Some sixth sense told her that she chose the right day for her dream to come true. She was looking for a bridal dress and she wanted one-of-a-kind dress to take back to Sweden for the Swedes to admire. And she was confident that she was going to get it at the finale held at the Grand Oriental Hotel.

"It was a fantastic dress to me. Made out of raw silk and satin with all the distinctive embroidery on it, I couldn't take my eyes off it. I fell in love with it. I phoned my husband in Male and told him that here in Sri Lanka I found the dream dress I wanted and that I was going to purchase it. I loved that cloak-like effect which would give you that "I'm-the-world" feeling. I'm going to be married in Sweden and this dress was something else," said an excited Sashi Ericson when we caught up with her after the show.

This is the first time in Sri Lanka that a bid was made for a dress even before the show ended. Shashi Ericson has put Sri Lanka and Sabry Junaid the Young Designer on the world map. She confirmed that 'fashion fans' need not rush off to global runways to be in vogue, because Sri Lanka is now poised to give the global designers a selection of clothes that reflect creativity on a different level.

"I made a bid for the dress and paid Rs 3 lakhs to Sabry Junaid. I handed the cheque over to him on the catwalk - it was all so exciting! Originally I was going to Dubai, Italy and Singapore to shop for a dress but I'm happy I stayed in Sri Lanka and got what I wanted. I don't want someone else to wear that dress, that's why I purchased it fast. I'm going to put it on the internet and let people in Sweden know that Sri Lanka is another avenue for designer clothes that rate equally in creativity when compared to global designers," said Shashi.

Dressed in a red saree, Shashi was looking stunning and quite at ease walking about with no faltering steps. "I was dressed by Chimmy Habarakanda, my hair was done by Chagall and make-up was handled by Sharmalie Salon. I'm involved in fashion, I'm a fan of fashion and we have a travel agency in Sweden.

The bridal dress                   Pix Chinthaka Kumarasinghe

"We hope to open a restaurant in Sri Lanka and call it a Fashion Cafe, and cater not only to 'food fans' but also to those who are fashion conscious in fashion accessories," said Shashi.

Sabry Junaid, the young fashion designer was pleasantly surprised when he heard that there was a bid for his bridal dress. "I was happy and excited when the organisers told me that there was a bid for my dress. For a moment I couldn't believe my ears! This is the first time it has happened to me and it augurs well for me I'm sure! I'm keeping my fingers crossed," said Sabry Junaid a product of S.Thomas' College, Mt.Lavinia.

He will always be indebted to his college he says for building his self confidence and his courage to think positively in life."My ambition to be a fashion designer has been accomplished to a great extent under the guidance of my tutors at LIFT. I worked at NO LIMIT as a fashion designer mainly in gent's outfits. I'm now a freelance designer and my endeavour is to reach greater heights in the field of fashion designing.

This opportunity, when my bridal dress was bought by Shashi Ericson has opened a new door for me to display my creations in Sweden. I'm already on Face Book and I'm launching my website soon" said Sabry.

To get back to your creation can you give us more details about the dress?

"I used raw silk and bridal satin and it took me two days to put the whole dress together. Another two days was spent sewing in the embellishments. I'm really happy that the dress would open global catwalks for me.

I'm hoping to do a show in November at a five star hotel sponsored by VIT Entertainments, the event company that presented the Beach Festival recently.

I want to do a good show and after that open a Designer Cafe featuring the European style but at the same time showcase our Sri Lankan culture which has an attraction all its own.

At the CATS SINGER Designer of The Year contest I displayed creations not only in bridal wear, but also in saree, kiddies and office wear.

It's a good thing that competitive interest is being shown in fashion designing here in Sri Lanka."