Sri Lanka Design Festival 2015 - sustainability in fashion

Bringing sustainability into fashion, environmentally-friendly creations by local desginers opened the Mercedes-Benz fashion runways of the recently concluded Sri Lanka Design Festival 2015.

Fusing traditional technique with contemporary design, many of the designers collaborated with local artisans in creating their collections. 

Nithya Lamahewa lends a sporty twist to batik in her latest collection. “Sportswear is always in and fashion is about having personality,” said the young designer who aspires to bring Sri Lankan traditional craft into new heights with her work. Lonali Rodrigo of House of Lonali takes a different approach to sustainable fashion. She uses industrial waste as material, a process known as ‘upcycling’. “Rather than recycling, where you break the material back down to its fibre, upcycling is where you take waste, upgrade it and turn it into beauty,” she said. 

Other featured designers included – Prabath Samarasooriya, Amesh Wijesekera, Dhakshayani Jayarajah, Pras and Danties, Tarja De Silva, Nilakshi Gamage, Sanathana Batik Gallery, Tharushi Dabare, AOD designers for Island Collection and Sri, Future Heritage Project AOD. Prabath Samarasooriya was also awarded the Sustainable Fashion Design Award, while Amesh Wijesekera won the Student/Graduate Industry Collaboration Award at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Apparel Awards on Saturday night. Both designers, along with winners of the other award categories, will travel to Istanbul for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Istanbul 2016.

The third and final runway on Sunday showcased graduating designers under the theme of ‘Emerging Designers’.