Applause for designs for a cause
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Making a statement on the ramp. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
By Shaveen Jeewandara
The winning designs of the night at ‘Elixier 13’ belonged to Prabod Munasinghe, Biyanga Subasinghe and Ovini Hewawasam who walked away with cash prizes worth Rs. 100,000. But this was not just a fashion designer contest, this was all about the designers delivering a strong message to their peers.
With survey results revealing the shocking statistic that Sri Lanka is among the top nations in alcohol consumption, the answer to combating that societal problem lies in showing some resistance to the current trend. A group of committed young people calling themselves CMB Volunteers took an innovative first step in standing up for the prevention of alcohol at ‘Elixier 13: Design for change” – a fashion show with a difference at the Park Street Mews earlier in March with the aim of reaching out to their brothers and sisters for whom alcohol is a way of life, a powerful addiction.
CMB volunteers, a group under the Alcohol and Drug Information Centre, was formed to reduce the demand for alcohol and drugs among youth, and this venture was a collaboration with the design departments of three leading institutes; Lanka Institute of Fashion Technology (LIFT), RAFFLES and the University of Moratuwa.
The 12 finalists displayed their creative and sometimes eccentric fashion to an audience that was highly appreciative of not only the designs but the objective as a whole. The winners were selected by a panel of judges including designer Michael Wijesuriya, former Miss Sri Lanka, Nadeeka Perera and Dr. Mahesh Rajasuriya with former Miss Sri Lanka Rozanne Diaz as the chief consultant for the event.
The first round saw casual T-shirt designs with catchy slogans, the second quite ambitious designs with celebrity models taking the ramp. Performances by the Castaways, Maria Soysa, Julius Mitchell and Ramod Malik lit up the night.
CINEC partnered with the volunteers as platinum sponsor along with RH Constructions, Achievers, Commercial Bank, Asian Allianz, Zsaid Images, Metropolitan, Nithyakalyani and Nolimit.
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