Sustainability by design: The next big step for Sri Lanka

Sustainability has always been a big win for Sri Lanka. As the world catches on, Sri Lanka remains to stand ahead not only leading by example but also starting difficult conversations and encouraging others to engage, pushing the boundaries to find a global solution. Sri Lanka Design Festival’s ‘Sustainable Fashion Symposium’ has been a continuing champion of the local apparel industry’s commitment to take it a notch higher in terms of sustainability. By hosting some of the leading lights in sustainable fashion to visit the island and have one-on-one discussions with the fashion industry here, the symposium aims to unearth what these global authorities know best and how to work around the challenges of keeping it green. In 2015, the symposium adds a new dimension to discuss the next big step; having adopted best in class business practices that saves the environment and cares for its people, the ‘SLDF Sustainable Fashion Symposium 2015’ aims to support Sri Lanka’s fashion industry to elevate its game to influence design, to innovate at the source through a real discussion.

The symposium this year includes a series of prestigious names including Eva Krause – CEO/Danish Fashion Institute and Copenhagen Fashion Week. Krause has been identified as a trailblazing leader in ethical fashion who contributed many new initiatives that influenced the European fashion industry. She will be discussing how change can be driven through fashion by taking sustainability into the heart of the operation. With the rise of interest in the circular economy, the world has bigger and better corporate sustainability commitments that pay renewed attention to the entire life cycle, not just mid and end-of-life solutions characteristic of past practices, especially because of the current reality around resource scarcity; Krause discusses how to ride this wave further and move sustainability to the very core of fashion practice.

Peter Ingwersen – former Creative Director of DAY Birger Mikkelson and former Levi’s Europe Brand Director identifies ‘Conscious Design’ as a trend. A main speaker at the forum this year, Ingwersen discusses how the fashion consumer today embraces conscious design as an extension of their personal values and how new generations of designers can bring ethical thought to the design phase of the process; this session will also tap into the new-age designers and brands that are already doing this and how they are doing this.

‘Full Disclosure – it’s possible in fashion’, is a bold statement made by one of the most influential speakers present at SLDF’s Sustainable Fashion Symposium 2015. Bruno Pieters the former Design Director Hugo Boss currently leading his own brand ‘Honest By’ will be in conversation with Martin Raymond, Editor in Chief of The Future Laboratory, to discuss how he did something that was considered impossible, by launching the world’s first 100% transparent company. 

Pieters discusses the future where the consumer has all the power, simply due to the power of choice and how as a 100% transparent company he shared his process with his consumer from where materials come from, how much they cost, who made the product, where it was made and, crucially, how much money everybody earns along the supply chain.

These powerful discussions will be rounded up by an intriguing panel discussion between the speakers and Christine Gent – the Executive Director of World Fair Trade Organisation Asia with an opportunity to directly engage with the global thought leaders in Sustainability through a relaxed question and answer session. 

This thought-provoking symposium will be chaired by Jane Rapley OBE – Professor Emerita of Central Saint Martins’ UK, and targets designers, sustainability practitioners from within industry and supply chain, apparel industry middle to upper management, fashion academics, NGOs and INGOs. It will be held on 27 November at the Sri Lanka Exhibition & Conventions Centre as part of the annual Sri Lanka Design Festival.

SLDF 2015’s is supported by Sri Lanka Apparel, the Export Development Board along with Brandix and MAS holdings as principal fashion industry patrons. SLDF is also supported by Coats Thread- Official Thread & Zip Partner as the main supply chain supporter. The event is also supported by Mercedes-Benz powered by Dimo, SriLankan Airlines – the official airline and Wijeya Newspapers’ Daily FT, Daily Mirror and Sunday Times as official print media. The event is also supported by Mount Lavinia Hotel as the official host, the Netherlands’ Embassy in Colombo and the German Embassy in Colombo along with the British Council and Sunshine Travels. SLDF was founded by AOD.

Sri Lanka Design Festival will be launched to the local business community on 26th November and remain open to the public on 27, 28 and 29 at the Sri Lanka Exhibition & Convention Centre. For more information: www.srilankadesignfestival.com/[email protected]/ 076 777 1488.