AOD leads the global fashion conversation in Sri Lanka as the International Fashion Revolution Day country coordinator
View(s):Fashion impacts our everyday psychology, our work, our cultures, the environment and the world as a whole. This powerful fashion industry came under global scrutiny On April 24th 2013, when 1133 people were killed and many more were injured as the Rana Plaza fashion manufacturing factory complex collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh due to its adverse conditions. Since then, the international dialogue on how fashion is made and consumed intensified, and the world’s fashion elite decided that an organised, worldwide platform to ask questions, demand for transparency in the origin of clothes, raise standards for fashion manufacturing, was necessary. This is how the project ‘Fashion Revolution Day’ (FRD) was formed. It aims to promote world-wide education and discussions on ethical fashion. As a leading voice in sustainable fashion, Sri Lanka too, has been part of this movement with AOD as the leader. In 2019, AOD proudly continued its role as the official coordinator for Sri Lanka for the international Fashion Revolution Day. With this, AOD also celebrated its journey as a key influencer of the Lankan wearables scene. By taking a strong stance in keeping fashion ethical, conscious and meaningful this Fashion Revolution Day, AOD invited the general public and the business sphere to become part of this global movement.
From hosting the iconic Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Sri Lanka, the South Asian Apparel Leadership Forum, the Sustainable Fashion Symposium and the annual Reveal Graduate Fashion Showcase, to facilitating constant knowledge sharing through talks, workshops and fashion career guidance, AOD has been at the heart of some of the biggest moves and shakes in fashion intelligence and education in the region. AOD believes that fashion should empower not just the wearer but also the maker, and that the fashion business has a unique role to play in balancing out the ecological, economic and social adversities that we see in our world today. AOD’s role as the Fashion Revolution Day country coordinator derives from this thinking and goes beyond passive activism to actually go out there and use fashion’s potential to spark a difference. The brands that evolved from AOD—Urban Island and www.Fashionmarket.lk where young designers, artisans, stylists, photographers, makers and many more fashion professionals work together are living examples of how fashion businesses can bring positive impact into many lives and how fashion itself can help people embody their very best. AOD believes that this is an essential part of its role and responsibility as a regional fashion leader by standing up for what needs to be done right with fashion.
In addition, Sri Lanka being a nation with a massive fashion manufacturing industry, having a unique voice is important for the country. AOD believes that Sri Lanka can set an example on how manufacturing should be done, and has annually made FRD and opportunity to share our methods and achievements with the world. AOD has also used FRD to share the unique working model that connects fashion academia, apparel industry and the rural artisan. By creating designers whose core ethos are built around sustainability, AOD has created a unique ecosystem in Sri Lanka where high-tech industry, low-tech artisans and designers work together for superior and unusual products. For example; AOD students developed a range of swimwear made from hand-woven fabric, in collaboration with village artisans and MAS Linea Aqua. Global entities like London Fashion Week have recognised this kind of work, demonstrating how the world is starting to notice that Sri Lanka is creating a generation of designers who think, design, manufacture, sell and live sustainably. For AOD, this is a powerful opportunity to share Sri Lanka’s voice throughout the world and draw attention to what we can contribute through the local fashion business. Especially in the current sensitive context for Sri Lanka in the world, AOD is keen to leverage these opportunities for positive and meaningful global dialogues.
AOD is a catalyst for change in South Asia, championing design driven innovation that goes beyond education and believes in driving change and inspiring young minds to think differently and take action to take society forward.
To find out more about Fashion, Fashion Marketing, Interior Design, Visual Communication Design and Motion Graphics & Animation Design, reach AOD Colombo on 0775727772, 011 5867772, AOD Kandy on 081 4 548322 email info@aod.lk or walk in between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday – AOD, 29, Lauries Road, Colombo 4.
www.aod.lk