First-ever South Asian apparel leadership forum this November

Renowned global opinion leaders and authorities in the spheres of fashion and apparel, including key personalities from the Sri Lanka Apparel industry will participate in an international gathering for the South Asian Apparel Leadership Forum focusing on establishing Sri Lanka’s position as South Asia’s apparel leader.

Sri Lanka’s fashion manufacturing industry has progressed towards becoming one of the pioneers in the global supply chain which caters to leading international brands and retains its position at the forefront of ethical manufacturing, a significant key to the growth of the fashion industry in Sri Lanka.

The South Asian Apparel Leadership Forum, conceptualised by SLDF as one of the festival’s main highlights of 2011, is to be held on the 18 November, and will see many key apparel experts and high profile international press gather to provide their insights on topics that are crucial for Sri Lanka’s campaign to lead South Asian apparel and become the global apparel visionary.

A key topic discussed will be Forces Causing a Re-balancing Of Apparel Production and Strategies To Respond. Where apparel leaders will discuss shifts in strategic sourcing away from China, increase of China’s consumer market, rising costs, rising wages, scarcity of some raw materials, more expensive fabrics, cotton prices, oil prices, food prices, riots, global unrest and other factors that have reached a ‘tipping point’ in apparel production.

Another important discussion will revolve around the strategy built on Factors That Can Make Sri Lanka The Next Global Success Story.

Here, panellists will address today’s state of Sri Lanka’s access to raw materials, flexibility, market speed and cost competitiveness along with the advantage of free trade with India for textiles and other strengths of how the region is or can be organised industrially, including more backward supply chain integration.

Extending the discussion to Design Technology, Market Speed and Sri Lanka’s Unique Value-Add, the forum will touch on the importance of home-grown design talent of Sri Lanka, its unique cultural model and use of online technology to interact real-time with any brand anywhere to generate fashion that is in demand internationally.

Another crucial highlight at the forum is providing An Update on Sri Lanka’s Global Leadership In Sustainability

where global and local apparel leaders will stress on the fact that building the world’s ‘greenest’ factories was an initiative, but sustainability is a movement. The discussion is to provide solutions for the future of Sri Lanka apparel’s green investments and how it will benefit in business and financial terms.

SLDF invites Sri Lanka’s apparel industry professionals to become a part of this milestone event that promises to become an important highlight of the global apparel calendar and play a key role in positioning Sri Lanka apparel in the south Asian apparel front.    

Registration for the forum is available online at www.srilankadesignfestival.com or from the festival secretariat at at Academy of Design (AOD), 29, Lauries Road, Colombo 4. For more information call on +94 11 5737303 or visit between 8.30 a.m. – 5.00 p.m. from Monday to Saturday.

SLDF is conceptualised and organised by AOD – Academy of Design www.aod.lk, a dynamic catalyst of the local creative industries growth.

AOD organises SLDF in partnership with key stakeholders Ministry of Economic Development and the Joint Apparel Association Forum – the apex body the Sri Lankan apparel industry. Other Key partners include; Sri Lanka Tourism, Mount Lavinia Hotel – Festival Host, Sri Lankan Airlines – Official Airline, Coats – Official Thread Partner, Textured Jersey – Official Fabric Partner, Trade Card – Official Software Partner and Hellmann – Official Shipping and Logistics Partner along with Knowledge Partner – British Council, Sparklink Travels, Bates Strategic Alliance PR, CG Hair and Makeup, Social mIdea, Norwegian Embassy and Addikt Design Movement.