MBFWSL x SLDF 2022 kicks off today

JAAF Secretary General Yohan Lawrence and AOD General Manager Ishara Wijemanna

Ruth Weerasinghe in collaboration with MAS Linea NXT and MAS Active

Nishaka Hettiarachchi in collaboration with ORIT Apparels

• Key event presents promise of Sri Lankan fashion through the lenses of sustainability, technology, and design to strengthen local apparel industry

Sri Lanka Design Festival and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week SL create a platform for Lankan manufacturing prowess and local talent to project new capabilities in apparel exports.

Apparel industry collaborations lined up to be showcased this December will portray what Sri Lankan fashion manufacturers can present to the world together with the country’s young design talent. 

With Sri Lanka’s export earnings becoming more important to its economy than ever before, major contributors like apparel bear a make-or-break significance to the country’s recovery plans. It is within this context that Sri Lanka Design Festival and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka announced its special focus in providing a platform for local apparel makers’ collaborations with designers lending in fresh perspectives and creativity that matches their technical excellence. With a worldwide audience tuning into watch the live streamed shows, this became an influential global stage for Sri Lanka’s apparel manufacturing industry to project its capabilities, technological advances, sustainable practices and access to world class talent.

Sri Lanka Apparel has been a long-time participant and supporter of Sri Lanka Design Festival and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka — two of the most significant global annual platforms for fashion, design and innovation in the island. What has stood out in their participation over the years is how these platforms were continuously used to present where outstanding young design talent complements the breadth of capabilities that Sri Lankan apparel makers possess. The industry’s international reputation for prioritising the planet and the people as much as profit and its ability to cater to standards of quality and creativity that global consumers seek. 

At a discussion between AOD General Manager Ishara Wijemanna and Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) Secretary General Yohan Lawrence on the 2022 Graduate Industry collaborations and future partnerships, Lawrence commented on this long-term partnership: “JAAF is happy to support the excellent work done by AOD in developing the talent needed for the industry. AOD graduates have played a key role in building the design capabilities of Sri Lanka Apparel. The industry has collaborated with AOD on a number of initiatives over the years and helped gain recognition at international fashion showcases. We look forward to seeing the collections at the upcoming Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka.”

MBFWSL will showcase a carefully curated lineup of local apparel manufacturers collaborating with young designers to release new collections. Amongst this were Eskimo, The Hirdaramani Group, Freudenberg Vilene International, MAS Active, HELA Intimates, MAS Kreeda, Kalaroo, Norlanka Manufacturing, Orient Design, Orit Apparel and The Bobbin Group. These apparel makers have been matched with promising young designers considering the technical and technological signature of each company. With earlier successes of such collaborations—like Amesh Wijesekara, Ruwanthi Gajadeera, and Ruth Weerasinghe—going on to create international star moments for local fashion, the 2022 show is awaited with much anticipation and new significance of offering hope to a challenged economy.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka will be held as part of the Sri Lanka Design Festival 2022 between 2 and 4 December, at the Colombo Innovation Tower. Watch these shows as they livestream at 8 p.m. IST on www.mbfwsrilanka.com.