Linda Speldewinde, founder and Managing Director of the Academy of Design, a premier institute for undergraduate education for design in Sri Lanka, is not a fashion designer. She is someone who you might call a creative entrepreneur. And this, evidence of her entrepreneurial skills and abilities, is what helped her become the Sri Lankan winner of the British Council International Young Fashion Entrepreneur (IYFE) 2009 award.
Held for the second year, this award seeks to champion and celebrate the importance of creative entrepreneurs working in the field of fashion. The keyword being entrepreneur, candidates are judged on their entrepreneurial skills and their potential to be an agent of change.
Applicants were drawn from various areas of the fashion field including fashion textile, accessories production and design, fashion promotion, education, marketing and publishing. Four candidates were short listed for the award out of seven applicants. The short listed candidates were - Ahamed Bary Farook, Niroshani Leanage, Anupama Nawalage and Linda Speldewinde.
And as the national winner, Linda's got a lot in store for her. She will compete alongside eight other winners from Brazil, India, Indonesia, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Tunisia and Vietnam in London next February for the IYFE award. And once in London…well, there's a lot to do, a lot to learn and a lot to bring back home.
"This is an award for the country," says Linda, adding that she has to submit a project proposal as part of the competition aimed at developing the creative industry in Sri Lanka.
"What I hope to do here is to set up a center to carry out various projects connecting students, young designers and entrepreneurs. It's something like a fashion enterprise that provides a space where everyone from the industry can come and meet each other, exchange ideas and learn more about various aspects of fashion," she explains.
But, the benefit from such a project is not all. "The experience, the exposure and the network, would be of immense benefit to me and the industry here," Linda says.
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| Linda Speldewinde |
Recounting her experiences, last year's winner, Dharshi Keerthisena says, "We had the opportunity to meet leaders and well-known personalities in the industry, like Sir Paul Smith and we even had the chance to attend workshops. I also build contact with winners from other countries and having been the national winner, it opened many doors for me."
Oh, there's also the London Fashion Week for Linda to attend. "You normally wouldn't even get tickets for such a thing," says Dharshi.
Final panel judge and Head of Design at Hidramani Group and Development Centre, Piyumi Perera belives Linda is a worthy ambassador for Sri Lanka as she understand the power and potential of the creative industry to create opportunities for people in this country.
"We approached the candidates from different angles, such as from the business side, how well they understood the award and design aspect. We also looked for how they can bring about change and we believe Linda's got a lot she can offer. She's got the confidence, strong presentation skills and she understands the subject," Piyumi said.
Country Director of British Council, Gill Westaway, while congratulating Linda said, "Sri Lanka's creative industry has tremendous potential. Through such an award as this, we aim to develop the next generation of leaders. Fashion designing is an area where Sri Lanka can excel. Linda understands the power and potential of the creative industry and we wish her all the best." Sri Lanka Telecom was the project partner for the IYFE Award 2009, while the electronic media sponsors were Channel 1 MTV and Yes FM. |
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