CFW Fund offers helping hand to up- and-coming designers
View(s):In just over a decade, Colombo Fashion Week (CFW) has established itself as the backbone of the local fashion design industry. In the run-up to the Resort Wear show to be held in October, comes the launch of CFW ‘Fashion Design Fund’ to develop and support up-and-coming fashion designers.
The fund is to be awarded to the ‘Bright Spark’ designer whose collection is deemed most worthy of support and the money will be used towards the funding of the development of their collection at the Resort Wear show to be held in Negombo.
Said CFW Founder and President Ajai Vir Singh, “Getting the necessary financial backing is one of the toughest challenges young designers face when trying to break into the market. Those who win a place in our ‘Bright Sparks’ category, get to feature their work as a prelude to the main CFW show. The young designers also receive intensive mentoring from the CFW team. One of these young designers will have the opportunity to gain the necessary funding to spend on developing his or her collection.“
Creations from the ‘Bright Spark’ section of the August CFW show
The HSBC CFW ‘Bright Spark’shows hosted in February this year featured nine talented young graduates from the University of Moratuwa, Raffles Design Institute Colombo, the Academy of Design and LIFT. They were given a unique opportunity to showcase their work during the ‘Bright Spark’ shows that preceded the main Fashion Week shows.
Heshan De Silva, a ‘Bright Spark’ designer who showcased his work at CFW 2014 said it was one of the best experiences he had in his life.
Those wishing to apply for the CFW ‘Bright Sparks’ shows can now email apply@colombofashionweek.com to gain entry.Entries will be judged on creative ability and potential for growth. A total of ten will be selected to go through the mentoring programme and showcase their work at CFW Resort Wear. One of those selected will be awarded the CFW ‘Fashion Design Fund’. All of those selected for the ‘Bright Spark’ category are automatically in the running to receive the funding. The only stipulated criterion is that all entrants must be recent graduates of a local design college or university.