Femininity strides alongside deconstructed gender lines

Emerging designers make their mark on opening night of CFW

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Marlon Rae launched his brand ‘Maluba’

Every year when Colombo Fashion Week opens with the Emerging Designers’ showcase, there is an air of anticipation that bodes well for the future of fashion in this country. These after all are the handpicked young designers of whom much will be expected in the future.

Day One of Colombo Fashion Week 2017 kicked off on March 15 at the Hilton Colombo with eight new faces presenting their collection in front of the who’s who of fashion in Sri Lanka.

First down the runway was Dinushi Pamunuwa whose batik collection featured feminine A line skirts and dainty tops contrasted with the occasional baseball jacket. In tones of blue, white, and pink the batik designs together with the delicate fabric gave the collection a demure look. This was Dinushi’s debut collection under the brand ‘La Pard’ which was officially launched on the runway that night.

Winner of last year’s Fashion Design Fund, Anushika Perera, showcased a collection under her brand ‘Mojo’ in shades of earthy orange, greys, and white, the designs featuring dramatic asymmetric silhouettes.

Poorni Wijesinghe’s collection aimed to “deconstruct the concept of gender” and” re-define femininity and masculinity”. The relaxed silhouttes together with lowered waistlines and dropped crotchlines helped achieve this aim. Made using organic material such as linen, cotton, bamboo and banana fabrics, in the colours of olive green, safari green, and white, the collection had a resort feel about it.

Newcomer Savindri Kuruppu gave us an edgy collection inspired by posters and graffiti-ed writing expertly incorporating these images and words into her designs through embroidery. The Sinhala lettering was perfectly juxtaposed with the feminine and delicate silhouettes and cuts used in the collection.

Vathsala Gunasekara’s collection appeared to be slightly reminiscent of the free spirited and flowing style of the 70s. In neutral tones of brown, white, lilac and grey, and featuring the occasional polka dots and bows the collection came across as an image of innocence and femininity.

Marlon Rae officially launched his brand ‘Maluba’ on the runway that night with his debut collection ‘Art of Survival’. The designs featured sleeves tapered and gathered by harness buckles, and gathered shirts and ruffles – a strong masculine take on the feminine form.

Inspired by the cherry blosson Mihiri De Silva’s collection featured slightly flared shift dresses with delicate embroidery, batik and lace woven into the design.

The night was capped by Yathra Jayawardene’s Hollywood-inspired batik collection. A toned down take on the classic batik style, the subtle geometric patterns and stripes, together with the silk material gave the collection a luxurious look. Purple, grey, white and even hints of mint green were favoured colours.