#NewLocal campaign emerges as a fresh young voice of creativity, entrepreneurship

Nithya Lamahewa - Nithya

Sri Lanka’s young creative talent are taking to social media this week supporting ‘The New Local’ vision launched by AOD. ‘The New Local’ carries a powerful message of optimism, hope with action and empowerment, calling creative talent to engage in strengthening Sri Lanka through creativity and entrepreneurship. 

The vision, which signifies refocusing the island’s exports from the SME sector to meet new markets using design, was taken on by Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week as its 2021 theme for Sri Lanka. MBFWSL will take place on 10, 11 and 12 December at the Colombo Innovation Tower, hosting three runway shows and an exhibition demonstrating Sri Lanka’s latest design-driven solutions for export.

Among the many creative voices sharing their enthusiasm for the #NewLocal movement was Nithya Lamahewa who has been working with the local handloom SMEs for close to a decade. Nithya shared her personal experiences in how the pandemic has challenged her small business, as it did to many, and what it means to survive with an entrepreneurial spirit. 

“I believe it is our responsibility to adapt and give solutions to the problems in the fashion industry and, in a broader sense, to the world. The handloom industry in Sri Lanka cannot survive by selling to the local market. We need to expand our customer base to the world. Online shopping and exporting can take our product to the world while giving the purchaser a physical piece of Sri Lanka. I am being creative and entrepreneurial for myself and my country,” she posted, urging other designers to also join this inspiring movement and take the momentum of change to their hands. 

Sajee Seneviratne, the entrepreneur behind Mendés Ceylon brand, also revealed on social media that 2020 and 2021 have been particularly challenging years for her young business; but her message resonated with the hope and courage evoked by The New Local movement, where Sri Lankans are encouraged to use their entrepreneurial strengths and creative talents to lead the country out of its turmoil.

“Facing challenges this big was not only unexpected but also unprepared for. I see MBFWSL not only as a great opportunity but also as a privilege for Mendés Ceylon. Working with traditional craft such as batik and handloom in our collections has always been one unique signature close to brands’ DNA, now we have a platform to take this uniqueness out to the world with MBFWSL.” 

Sajee added that Sri Lankan brands have the potential to become a global fashion discussion, especially for their incorporation of traditional craft, and thanked MBFWSL for giving local creative entrepreneurs the courage to take this opportunity to build international interest in what the island has to offer. Newcomers to the fashion business, like Krisheni Nanayakkara, also posted tagging on to #NewLocal, finding synergy with the movement and its positioning of design as the key to taking Sri Lanka global. 

The MBFWSL shows and exhibition will not be a mere display of great talent, according to its organisers; The event has been created to highlight how Sri Lanka is using design thinking to identify the radically shifted needs and desires of markets worldwide, and providing solutions that are timely, relevant and progressive for the current post-pandemic reality. The young designers who are rallying around #NewLocal and MBFWSL 2021 are creatives who are representative of this thoughtful, purposeful and sustainable way of designing products that meet true market needs, making them great partners for international buyers, merchandisers and retailers to work with. 

For more information on Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka 2021, and to see how young Sri Lankan design talent is being mobilised with hope, courage and optimism to use their strengths to better their country, visit MBFWSL official website www.mbfwsrilanka.com/thenewlocal and Facebook page, to follow the campaign.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka is organised by AOD, powered by Dimo, with the support of Wijeya Newspapers, Kess, Kevin Murphy and Gelish by British Cosmetics. If you’re a creative entrepreneur who wants to join the #NewLocal movement of MBFWSL, get in touch with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka secretariat at AOD on 0775727772 or [email protected].

Sajee Seneviratne - Mendes Ceylon