CFW’s second take for this year looks to South Asia
Ajay Vir Singh (fourth from left) and CFW partners at the press conference. Pic by Priyanka Samaraweera
Colombo Fashion Week (CFW) returns for a second time this year with its Luxury Resortwear edition on November 29 and 30 at the Shangri-La Colombo. The second season of this edition focuses on Occasionwear and sophisticated Resortwear in tandem with a renewed focus on circularity in fashion.
The handpicked designers from Sri Lanka will be joined by designers from India and Pakistan, making it a South Asian affair – a clear indication of CFW’s expansion into a South Asian platform throughout its 20-year existence. The Lankan designers displaying their creations over the two days include Charini Suriyage, Amilani Perera, Asanka De Mel, Fouzul Hameed, Dinushi Pamunuwa, and Kamil Hewawitharana to name a few.
CFW takes pride in the expansion which aims to promote Sri Lankan designers in high-potential South Asian cities and already includes editions that have taken place in Bangalore, Pune, and Lucknow. The project will also include an edition in Singapore early next year with one in London expected within the first half of 2024.
Reflecting on what takes place at CFW on a much deeper level beyond the fashion shows, Founder and Managing Director of CFW Holdings Ajay Vir Singh expands on the role of CFW in design entrepreneurship where 85 per cent of designers seen in Sri Lanka are a part of the design development system implemented by CFW and the ecosystem created around it.
“The way in which we are headed now is actually creating a soft power for Sri Lanka, especially when the door for tourism is opening where more tourists are coming in. The creative industry plays a very important role in design entrepreneurship and craftsmanship, and also influences tourists and makes their destination far more attractive,” explains Ajai. “This year, our journey is expanding where we’re bringing in important sustainability tools as well, like a circular design mindset, which means that designers now need to attempt to design not in a linear way, but a circular way where the negative impact on the environment is negated. So yes, it’s an important time.”
This edition will also see the relaunch of the Fashion Design Council of Sri Lanka to provide key support to the fashion industry in Sri Lanka as well as its design fraternity. A sustainability workshop titled Circular Design Mindset will take place under the Responsible Fashion Summit and will be open to all designers and students interested in fashion circularity.
The main partners of the CFW Luxury Resortwear 2023 edition include Shangri-La Colombo, Nations Trust Bank, Tresomme, Lakme, Vision Care, Hameedia, and Ramani Fernando Salons.
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