Weaving a cultural bond
Here are two ingredients for a wonderful fashion show: a catwalk laid out on the lawn of the DBU with the historic building for a backdrop and a starry sky overhead. FUSE IT ticked off both of those last week at an event that brought together designers from the Academy of Design, Sri Lanka (AOD) and from the Netherlands. Playful and clever designs made such unlikely pairings as masks with beeralu lace, batik and bicycle wheels, Vincent Van Gogh and evening wear.
A lovely little pop up store allowed guests to take home some of the merchandise including ‘glow-in-the-dark’ sarees in luminescent shades of yellow and orange, vases and boxes decorated in the distinctive blue and white of Dutch Delftware and lengths of hand-woven, intricately patterned woollen fabric. Profits from these sales will go toward AOD’s upcoming project which is built around a series of creative workshops at the village level for children from the different communities AOD already works with, said the organisers.
Initiated by the Netherlands Embassy in Sri Lanka, the project was intended to highlight a historic friendship through a cultural exchange of design. Katja Van Heughten, a young design graduate from the world renowned Eindhoven Design Academy, was flown down to work in collaboration with AOD’s design graduates. Together the group explored the traditional crafts, motifs and the visual heritage of both countries. Making the final cut were Prabath Samarasooriya, House of Lonali, Nithya, Kerlize Sesha, Prady Croos, Neth Mi, Malka Peiris as well as Island Craft, a not-for-profit initiative led by AOD.
Speaking at the event, the ambassador of the Kingdom of Netherlands, Louis Piet said: “FUSE IT shows how Dutch and Sri Lankan interaction can be fresh and geared to a cultural exchange in our day and age. It stresses the timelessness of Dutch prints and Sri Lankan handloom, the ease with which these can be merged. It demonstrates that design of both countries is compatible and can be inspired by our common history. Above all I am glad that FUSE IT shows that Sri Lanka and the Netherlands can work together.”
