Dawning of a star

Last year brought you the launch of a hallmark in the Sri Lankan fashion industry. The aim was to seek, find, support and nurture fresh and talented fashion designers from all corners of the island. At the dawn of 2008, the list had boiled down to ten... On January 20, a star is to be born… Calling all fashionistas. The 'Zainab Ammarah Young Upcoming Fashion Designer of the Year Award' will allow young fashion designers of Sri Lanka to showcase their talent upon an international-standard fashion platform.

Zainab Ammarah was born in Pakistan to Sri Lankan parents. She came to Sri Lanka at the age of 18 to face a whole new culture and was pushed into a career in advertising and marketing. Realizing her passions lay elsewhere, she pursued a diploma in Fashion Design at the Academy of Design. After graduating in 2005 and weighing out her options, she decided that The Fashion Designer of the Year Awards was an appealing prospect, and promptly applied.

Now, she is focused on endowing her peers with tools to carve their way into Sri Lanka's fashion Hall of Fame. She has single-handedly accomplished the successful completion of her contribution to the country's talent, the pinnacle of which will take place at the finale of her quest to find the most talented designer in Sri Lanka. Zainab Ammarah has indeed come a long way since cinching the title of the 'Fashion designer of the Year 2006'.

"I knew Sri Lanka was wealthy of hidden talent and those like me who were waiting for an opportunity to change their lives," she said, adding, "I believed I had the capacity to affect change in people's lives. This is my invitation to all budding designers to unleash their creative energy."

Zainab worked hard for 7 months after she set out on this quest. She alone found the sponsors and the judges, conceptualized the entire competition and its finale and spread the word to the locals in an invitation to showcase their flair for design.

"The response was overwhelming. Being able to help all these young designers who have their hearts set on success is absolutely joyful," she said, adding, "Approximately 90 competitors took part and it was heart wrenching for me to short list such marvelous talent."

At a preliminary event held at the BMICH and judged by Rosy Senanayake, Brian Kerkovan, Romesh Atapattu, and George D. Regoukos who has designed for Ralph Lauren and Donna Karen New York, the final list of 10 contestants was compiled. To boil down a list of 90 equally talented persons to 10 was not an easy task. It required Zainab to conceive of a method, which would ensure that the most deserving competitor won. She came up with a grueling test paper, which the contestants had to face in the preliminary round.

"In competitions I had previously taken part, the contestants weren't guaranteed such reliability, and I knew that the lack of such integrity hindered my ambition to excel. Therefore, to make this competition fair in all aspects, the participants had to be eliminated through a test, which was judged by professionals," she said. At the test, the contestants were asked to draw the sketches of a two or three piece collection, along with a write up and a technical drawing.

The final round of the competition is to be held at Waters Edge on January 20, 2008. "At the moment, the participants are working on their themes and designs to create and showcase them on the 20th, Zainab revealed. "Every designer has a point of view and a unique design aesthetic so I find this part of the competition to be a most crucial one, which allows them room to grow."

Zainab expects the competition to be fierce because each designer is equally talented. The winner is due to receive a return trip to Paris sponsored by Timex Garments among many other gifts that are yet to be announced."Sri Lanka needs to realize that there are many more young promising designers if we just take the time to seek them out. We need to give these people the opportunity to succeed, and can be introduced to the local fashion industry and perhaps, they can later be a part of that of the world," she said.

"We all have dreams and all it takes is encouragement, opportunity and that single moment to propel them forth. And I feel privileged to have given them a chance to rise above the obstacles and shine."