A look back at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week (Day 1)

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka kicked off its series of runways at the Dimo 800
Mercedes-Benz Centre, under the theme of Emerging Talent. Young talent both local and
international featured their collections to enthusiastic cheering and applause from their peers.

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By Sashini Rodrigo

The night started out with a preview of the Amesh S/S 2019 collection by Amesh Wijesekera, an AOD alumnus set to be introduced at London Fashion Week’s International Fashion Showcase next year.

It was followed by the Future Heritage collection, a 2 nd year project by AOD Fashion that saw
students combine traditional crafts like beeralu, batik and handloom with international fashion trends to envision the future of Sri Lanka’s heritage craft.

The International Graduate Showcase was next, featuring a select few final graduate collections
from international design schools and universities. The curated collection presented the eclectic and cutting-edge work of students from esteemed institutions like Savannah College of Art & Design (Hong Kong), De Tao Masters' Academy (China), London College of Fashion, Kunsthochschule Berlin- Weißensee (Germany) and Accademia Costume Moda (Italy).
Following this was the Emerging Talent Showcase which presented the work of some of Sri Lanka’s upcoming designers and their brands.

The showcase included the ultra-chic Donashi by Menushi Jayathilake, the flowing elegance of IKIGAI by Sandani Perera, embroidered couture from Natharlea by Natali Yahampath, sultry dark materials with pops of red from ANUM by Anum Dassanayake, bright block shades by Thushie Jayasekera for Tink, the holographic sparkle of Anuththara Rajapakse’s collection for Hirdaramani and the Victorian-inspired Donakhi by Akhila Liyanage.

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Tropical trans-seasonal runway at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week (Day 2)
Boho Chic and neon tones at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week(Day 3)

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The final category for the evening was both the longest and most hotly anticipated - the AOD Graduate Fashion Showcase. Ninteen students from AOD Fashion’s graduating class of 2019 proudly presented their final collections featuring a diverse variety of inspirations and design choices, with some collections in collaboration with local companies such as Anim8, Bobbin Group, Coats Thread, Dynawash and MAS Linea Aqua. The overarching theme of Innovation Island was consistently represented by young designers who are sure to shape the future of fashion both locally and internationally.