All that’s young and edgy
It has been said time and again that Colombo Fashion Week’s Bright Spark edition is a stepping stone for young fashion designers making their way up the ramp. What isn’t articulated though is the sheer energy and good vibes often found at this show, when these young designers draw in their friends and family, who mingle with fashion’s in-crowd with beaming smiles, cameras at the ready and hands constantly drawn together in applause.
Angelina Senevirathne: Colourful beachwear
Few fashion weeks in the world afford their young the opportunity to showcase their work, but CFW initiated the side-event in 2012 and has since embraced it with gusto, even revamping the October Resort Wear edition to include two shows for their work. This year, once again, Hilton’s poolside was host to a fascinating combination of the who’s who of the Lankan fashion industry interspersed with friends and family of the young designers.
Opening the show on Wednesday was Tarja De Silva, who presented a collection drawing inspiration from the old-school brand of batik, with off-white textiles streamlined in the technique. Bearing slogans such as ‘Isso Wade’ and old-Ceylon photographs, the pieces were a clever, young take on a frequently seen technique on the local ramp.
Angelina Senevirathne’s ‘Curves’ label was primarily beach-wear in colourful shades. Hasara Kulatunga’s Tut collection was inspired by the Egyptian King Tutankhamen and the legendary sarcophagus was paraded down the ramp to Katy’s Perry’s Dark Horse. Tut was essentially a collection in white with flashes of black and silver along with gold highlights.
It was Rukshika Fernando’s Rum Punch, however, that stole the first half of the show. The geometrically patterned, colour-blocked swimsuits – in both one and two piece – seemed effortlessly edgy, and the designer’s clever use of classic cuts meant hers were the most practical designs on the runway during the first half.
After the break it was Vishan Gunawardena’s turn to take the ramp. The young designer has just graduated from the Academy of Design having also obtained a BA (first class Hons.) in Fashion Design from Northumbria University, UK.
Inspired by menswear tailoring techniques, his women’s wear collection showcased elegance and femininity while contoured with elements of androgyny. Soft, shimmery golds and cap sleeves lent this atypically modest collection which echoed old-fashioned elegance with a soft, young Grace Kelly- like femininity. While it veered on the safe side, the collection was eminently wearable.
Azzraa Thaarick’s collection used t-shirt type material to create dresses, jackets and pants. Experimenting with layering and textural differences, the collection included trendy young designs but achieved a softer look with the use of light colour and flowy sheer fabric.
Azzraa Thaarick: The soft look
Although she has showcased her designs at the London Graduate Fashion Week, the Bright Sparks show was a first in Sri Lanka for Ridma Samaranayake. The inspiration for her collection came from an article she once read about Gokkalawa. A sort of Sri Lankan origami, Gokkalawa or the art of coconut leaf weaving is an essential part of the decor at many a traditional event. The eye-catching collection was the embodiment of bold voluminous shapes. Bright greens, yellows and oranges added to the avant garde nature of the segment.
This year’s CFW Fashion Design Fund winner is Kasun Gunawardana, whose work was last seen on the Sri Lanka Design Festival ramp. Kasun’s CFW collection is his first for the year and he was sticking to his minimalist ethics, drawing inspiration from the emerging bourgeois-bohemian trend.
Kasun sources his textiles and handlooms directly from local craftsmen, and says his collection is “spiritually driven but eco-friendly”. The Fashion Fund has sponsored his entire collection, and will later help him in the retail aspect, which he says has been a great support. His collection was an interesting marriage of masculinity and serenity, embracing the sensitive elegance of very strong androgynous prints and colour.
Vishan Gunawardena: Feminine elegance
Rukshika Fernando: Swimwear in classic cuts (left and below left). Pix by Indika Handuwala
Kasun Gunawardana: Marriage of masculinity and serenity
Hasara Kulatunga: Touch of exotic Egypt (Also featured on our cover)