SLAHAB holds open forum for fashion extravaganza

The Sri Lanka Association of Hairdressers and Beauticians (SLAHAB) organized a ‘Fashion for Unity’ to be hels in March with all Sri Lanka's leading fashion designers.

The designers, which included Ruchira Silva of Rebel, Lou Ching Wong, Purnima Abeyratne of Inspirations, Kirthi Sri Karunaratne, Nirosha Liyanage of the Lanka Institute of Fashion Technology (LIFT), Dhammika Amarasinghe and Dr. Nirmali de Silva of the University of Moratuwa, were at the press conferenceto discuss, plan and conceptualise the different thematic fashion shows that are to be held during the fashion Two fashion designers from Mumbai and another from Indonesia will also be participating at the Fashion Extravaganza.

Nayana Karunaratne, Chairman of the organizing committee, SLAHAB, Sherine Fernando of the Janet Group, President of SLAHAB and Chrissy Rosairo, immediate past President of SLAHAB were also present.

Karunaratne speaking on why they are having a day dedicated to fashion, said, "Globally, with the inclusion of the World Federation of Hairdressers, which Sri Lanka is a member of, we see that the fields of hair, beauty and fashion are becoming interlinked. Fashion is now playing a major part, with hair and makeup being one aspect of it. This is why we are having a day dedicated to giving fashion designers in Sri Lanka a platform to showcase their talent."

It was decided to hold fashion shows right throughout the day, showcasing the creations of individual designers, with Lou Ching Wong coordinating the entire event.

Speaking at the open forum, he said, "We have a pool of models that will be working with us for all four days. So every designer who participates will have the facility of using 12 female models and six male models. Each show will of 30 minutes duration and there will be breaks in between.

"We want a united fashion team at every level, because this kind of exposure will be good for the industry. This is a fantastic forum for up and coming fashion designers to showcase their talent as well as for the established designers to introduce their latest collections," he added. Commenting on the significance of the show, Kirthi Sri Karunaratne said, "This is an excellent opportunity for us. As one of Sri Lanka's oldest and pioneering fashion designers, I look forward to introducing a collection that is different to what I have done before".

The Hair Asia Pacific and Hair and Beauty Fair, to be held from March 2-5, 2007, will feature events and competitions related to hair, beauty and fashion. It is also recognized by Sri Lanka Tourist Board as a national event.

Hair Asia Pacific, attended by 15 countries in the zone, which include Japan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, Philippines, Pakistan, India, Taiwan, and Malaysia is to be held on the final day. Derana is the TV media partner for this mega event.

SLAHAB was born ten years ago with the aim of elevating the profession of hair and beauty in Sri Lanka to an international standard, providing much needed exposure as well as creating awareness on the latest trends in the industry. It is the only Hair and Beauty Association registered by the government of Sri Lanka and is the 59th member of the Organisation Mondiale Coiffure, also known as the World Hairdressers Organization.