Ode to innovation & tradition
The dazzling opening night of Colombo Fashion Week (CFW) Summer 2025 on February 19 at Shangri-La Colombo saw a stunning showcase of vibrant designs, innovative silhouettes and an ode to traditional Sri Lankan craftsmanship.
Featuring over 25 designers from Sri Lanka, Italy, India and Bangladesh, this season of CFW marked the launch of multiple initiatives, including the Craft Fashion Fund and the Fashion Exchange Programme with BRICS. Among the designers are 12 Emerging Designers from the Emerging Designer Platform, a cornerstone of CFW that provides an entry point for the next generation of fashion visionaries.
Showstopper: Kamil's old world glamour and elegance
Opening the show was Aslam Hussein, a designer synonymous with luxury couture. His collection was a tribute to sophistication, grace and meticulous artistry inspired by the timeless beauty of pearls. Each creation displayed intricate pearl embellishments with custom jewellery created by Varun Raheja of Azotiique Mumbai. Pop sensation Umaria, also dressed in a bespoke Aslam Hussein creation, lent her powerhouse vocals to unveil this collection.
The first Emerging Designer of the evening, Chihiro Fernando, presented DUSHNA, a bold collection featuring batik prints inspired by human cells – a powerful statement for women making an impact in society. The message was clear: Be Bold. Chihiro’s designs were complemented by the latest eyewear from Vision Care.
Shri Amarasinghe unveiled ‘Duality in Radiance,’ for her label Shabel Paris, a love letter to her two homes – Sri Lanka and France. Chic ensembles intertwined black and white with gold as a symbol of transformation, with eye-catching elements like quilted structures and exaggerated sleeves, celebrating the beauty found in imperfection and harmony when two worlds unite.
Bringing a touch of tropics, head designer of the collaborative design venture ARTROOM, Udaya Wickramasinghe, celebrated craftsmanship with a collection capturing Sri Lanka’s rich textile heritage incorporating batik, weaving, knitting, embroidery and brassware.
Celestial Sanctum by Devapriya Halwala paid tribute to Sri Lanka’s ancient connection to astronomy. Traditional embroidery techniques adorned the garments, each piece drawing inspiration from specific constellations significant to
Sri Lankan culture.
Closing Day One, Dimuthu Sahabandu, inspired by the legendary love story of British Governor of Ceylon, Major General Sir Thomas Maitland, and Lovinia Aponsuwa, a dancer of Portuguese-Sinhalese descent in 19th-century Ceylon, presented a
collection that drifted from soft nude shades to rich,
deeper tones, embodying the enigmatic essence of Lovinia’s story.
Dimuthu Sahabandu: Fired by an enigmatic love story
Devapriya Halwala: Inspired by astronomy
Umaria: Entertaining the audience in an Aslam Hussein creation
Udaya Wickramasinghe: Tropical colours
By Arrenga Nadaraja Pix by Akila Jayawardena
A bright and breezy summery collection by Italian designer Cettina Bucca presented by White Milano, brought a whiff of the Mediterranean to the stage for Day 2 of CFW at the Taj Samudra hotel.The first emerging designer for the night, Thisaru Fernando’s collection Echchampulle, was all about creative exploration and sustainability in design. Motivated by his mother’s “artistic flair and skills,” Thisaru started working with tie-dying, bleaching and up-cycling at a young age and being able to show at CFW was no doubt, a major achievement.
Emerging designer Nethmi Anjana Ranepura’s collection, Ceylon Dourme, emphasised comfort and functionality with subtle accents of embroidery in a nod to craftsmanship
Next up was Bangladeshi designer Kamrul Hasan Riad with Kamrul Designs, which honours “the history and future of fashion”. His collection Water Lily, a heart in bloom is entrenched in multiple traditions intertwined in his country’s textile industry.
Shavindi Wijesooriya: Veil of rebirth
Presenting a monochromatic look for both men and women alike, with bold prints on oversized t-shirts, “God’s Plan” by Deedat Mubarack under the label Deedat delved into the intense “interplay between destiny and human will”, calligraphy teaming with bold “street-ready aesthetics.”
Emerging designer, Shavindi Wijesooriya’s striking collection Veil of Rebirth took the humble jellyfish as her inspiration to show the importance of sustainability and regeneration while Elysian Water by Nilu Amara (Nilupa Weerakoon), also nature based, highlighting “water and rain,” featured embroidery by women artisans from rural Sri Lanka, intricate detailing in every stitch.
Prabadhi Bandara, another emerging designer with her collection Threads of Life under Hades.com. reflected a personal story of growth, interweaving intricate crochet flowers with bold Lankan batik, inspired by the delicate blue of the water lily.
A Tribute to Eri Silk, a collection presented by Prasad Bidapa, commissioned by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region and NEHHDC, crafted by 19 leading designers in India, included Geisha Designs, celebrated designers Manoviraj Khosla, Tarun Tahliani, Shravan Kumar and more on the catwalk. The collection was aimed at highlighting that heritage textiles can be “timeless and avant-garde.”
The night’s showstopper was Limak by Kamil, a collection presented by Mastercard, that embodied old world glamour and elegance.
Pieces from the collections of Emerging Designers will be available for purchase at the retail pop-up store at the Design Collective on February 27 and 28.
Thisaru Fernando: Touches of tie and dye
Prabadhi Bandara: Crochet designs
Nilu Amara: Intricate embroidery
Shri Amarasinghe: A touch of Parisian chic
Chihiro Fernando: Bold batiks
Cettina Bucca: A whiff of the Mediterranean
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