CFW dives in with Swim
Colombo Fashion Week began the year with a celebration of the Sri Lankan Batik industry. Off the ramp, fashion even seeped into the plates of their partner restaurants which created menus inspired by global fashion icons.
It’s happening: Announcing ‘Swim’ to the media
Settling between the main show and the Resort Wear Show later in October comes another CFW innovation. Introduced as the third annual season for the CFW team, “Swim” will hit the runway this August from the 7th to the 9th, showcasing designer swimwear by both local and international designers.
Aiming to make waves in the region, this is the first swim edition of currently running fashion weeks in Asia. The aspiration for CFW Swim is to one day match up to the swimwear festivals of Miami and Sao Paulo. CEO of Linea Aqua, Sarinda Unamboowe envisioned the day Sri Lanka’s swimwear industry would be able to step onto a pedestal along with other big names in the industry. The country’s foremost swimwear manufacturer Linea Aqua began more than 15 years ago and Sarinda remembers a time when they had to import all their raw materials and embellishments – “At the start we couldn’t even buy the thread we needed”. Today, the company is a leading exporter of swimwear apparel producing 16 million pieces a year, fed by complete supply lines from local sources.
This August, Linea Aqua will share the stage with CFW as their technical partner. The partnership was an easy one, as Ajai shared a similar vision for fashion and its development in Sri Lanka. “When I first came here there were beaches but no real beach wear,” explains Ajai whose pet area of interest is beach wear, evident in his bright, holidayish brand Arugam Bay.
Charini Suriyage
Charini Suriyage
Joining the ten handpicked local designers is Indian duo Shivan & Narresh and Sanchita. Specializing in luxurious swimwear Shivan & Narresh embody their vibrant heritage with loud and exotic colour. Also showing at CFW Swim is Charini Suriyage who has been in the field for the past 11 years. The General Manager- Design of MAS Intimates, Charini’s creations have seen the ramps of Berlin Fashion Week, Paris and of course, Colombo. She admits that the culture of the locality has impacted her work, but her signature feature for this collection has remained contouring. When looking for the ideal swimsuit for herself, the designer is very realistic about her own needs. She favours the one piece especially after becoming a mother.
The environment has significant effect on the work to be shown. “When we started the Resort Wear it was just bikinis and wraps,” says Ajai but subsequent years have shown the designers thinking outside the box. “There are no limitations or themes since it’s the first time,” says Ajai of Swim. Their title partner is OLU Tropical Water, a new brand of bottled water.