At the prestigious WWD Apparel and retail CEO Summit:

EDB promotes ethical positioning of Lanka Apparels

Over the last decade as Asia emerged the leading outsourcing destination for the global fashion industry, Sri Lanka stood alone as the only country that embraced 'Ethical Business and Manufacturing Practices' as a way of life.

With the aid of the Government of Sri Lanka through the Ministries of Finance, Industrial Development and Export Development and International Trade that has always been proactively supporting the cause, Sri Lanka Apparel is today the world's No.1 ethical apparel sourcing destination.

One of Sri Lanka Apparel's biggest supporters in their efforts to take 'Garments Without Guilt' to the world, is the Export Development Board.

Anil Koswatta (Chairman) and his team at the EDB have been ensuring the stability for the industry, and have helped with image building, marketing and improving productivity through both financial means and proper policy direction said A Sukumaran, Chairman of Sri Lanka Apparel.

A new milestone in their campaign came last month as Sri Lanka Apparel presented 'Garments Without Guilt' at the 13th WWD Apparel / Retail CEO Summit in New York on November 9 and 10.

Hosted by Women's Wear Daily (WWD), long touted as the last word in everything fashion, the topics at the Summit ranged from the urgent need to change the fashion system and building a hot brand to the outlook for holiday sales and the evolving U.S. trade policy.

In attendance were over 200 CEOs and Presidents from leading companies as Aeropostale, Bloomingdales, Chanel, Christian Dior, Lululemon Athletica, Giorgio Armani, Jones Apparel Group, Macy's, Marc Jacobs, Phillips-Van Heusen, Saks Inc, Under Armour, and VF Corporation to name just a few. While the speakers included Stella McCartney, Kevin Plank and Ronald Frasch of Saks Inc., Emmanuel Chirico of Phillips-Van Heusen, Donna Karan, Martha Stewart, Marc Jacobs, Sir Martin Sorrell and many others.

The summit brought together the leading minds of the fashion world and encouraged discussions, lectures and debates on the current economic situations and its impact on retail, brand building strategy and also the need for environmental and ethical practices in apparel manufacturing.

This was of course the ideal forum to present 'Garments Without Guilt' and the EDB was quick to see the merit in having Sri Lanka Apparel make their presence felt there.

'We are extremely grateful to the Export Development Board for their support and for pro-actively sponsoring our participation at this exclusive forum opening a new vista of export promotion by creating national identity in place of individual companies resulting in benefit to the entire industry', said Rohan Masakorale, Secretary General, JAAF.

While Sri Lanka Apparel's participation in what Kumar Mirchandani, who champions the marketing initiatives at JAAF, calls 'the most important gathering that the industry has ever participated in', is a landmark achievement in itself, the growing global concern and need for ethical manufacturing that was evident, made it even more fortuitous.

As the world over consumers turn conscientious, brands can no longer ignore the where and how of their manufacturing process.