"FASHION is about glamour, glitter and experimental outfits! Fashion is also very hard work and lots of studying!! At the Academy of Design (AOD), Colombo's leading Fashion design School, Fashion is not considered a hobby but a serious education discipline... The undergraduate Fashion Design program at AOD provides students with the intellectual, conceptual, and technical skills that enable them to be professional fashion designers".

What is Fashion? FASHION is often synonymous with the catwalk, makeup, big hair, glamour, glittering show-biz parties, chunky shoes, and experimental outfits. But, in reality, fashion is a mirror of its culture and world view. In all its beauty, fashion is a form of artistic expression; an international language. Simply stated, fashion has no national boundaries. It is a potent declaration of how one sees and represents oneself. The fashion industry is a complex, multi billion - dollar business encompassing design, production, distribution and retailing. Fashion is the fourth largest industry in the world. Fashion Design is much more than the crafting of beautiful clothing.

At AOD, our aspiring designers are encouraged to look beyond the traditional restrictions of fashion, to scrutinize clothing as it responds to lifestyle, sculptural performance, movement, costume and art. Students learn how to develop a fashion collection from concept to the finished product. Exposure to a complete range of technical skills in model drawing, pattern drafting, draping, colour illustration, textile design and accessory design are introduced.

The curriculum also includes computer assisted design, aesthetics, the theory of composition and colour, fashion history and a variety of other design related subjects. Fashion studies would be incomplete without solid knowledge in the marketing, merchandising, and business management of clothing and accessories. Students are taught how to interpret theoretical knowledge to infer various trends that affect the global industry, to employ visual and theoretical research and analysis skills to identify the supply and demand fads, and to explore strategies for merchandising and marketing apparel.

Students at AOD, conclude their studies with a professional runway show highlighting the designs created by them, during the Annual Fashion Show. Students plan and produce all aspects of the garments for the final show, from inspiration to final execution. Each year, the fashion show receives applause from a very large and distinguished audience. The academy held its annual graduation fashion show this year, on the 28th of August. Graduation Fashion Show - An Event of AOD Design Week 2008
Why study at the AOD?

Since its inception eight years ago, the Academy of Design (AOD) has strived to develop Fashion Design as both a serious educational discipline and a dynamic profession in Sri Lanka. The Academy graduates are sought after for jobs and the Academy has a 100% success rate in job placement of its students. Every student who has left the corridors of the Academy has left either with a job offer or an offer to study abroad depending on what the student wishes to do. Being the pioneer Centre in Design education in the country and considering the high quality education the students receive, AOD enjoys an enviable reputation.

AOD is proud of its success and the evolution of its programmes and what it has grown to become. Today, AOD offers undergraduate programmes in Fashion, Interior and Graphic Design.
AOD's unique position as an institution devoted to Design, one single area of study enables its students to achieve incomparable focus in the classroom and subsequent success in an ever expanding and competitive workplace. As you read this, you may wish to consider 'why' study Design. It is not only a profession that's only creative but also offers a wide range of options for employment. Many AOD graduates pursue careers as practitioners and many career opportunities are open to them through AOD's active job placement service.

A decade ago, design was considered just a hobby in Sri Lanka. But now more recently it is being recognized as a profession and a serious educational discipline. This is an important step forward. While many have long known and believed design to be a serious profession, the academy has strived to confirm this belief and has made it a reality. The academy believes strongly in the importance of the recognition of design as a profession, the academy undergraduate programmes prepare graduates, in combination with the requisite experience and knowledge to be professional designers. Future generations of designers must perform at ever higher levels of professionalism in order to sustain this confidence.

The Academy of Design (AOD) is proud to be a vital part of Colombo's educational and cultural life and a creative force in the continued growth of design as both an educational discipline and a dynamic profession. AOD hopes that having read this, you will share its enthusiasm for what AOD has to offer in the study of design. We look forward to welcoming you to the Academy of Design!

For further information contact: The Academy of Design, No 33 1/1 Queens Road, Colombo 03. Tel: 5742480, 5742490, 5867772 - 3, 2502850
www.aod.lk