First-ever Lakme Sri Lanka Fashion Week by Divalicious from 8-10 October

By Charumini de Silva

The first-ever Lakme Sri Lanka Fashion Week by Divalicious, will be held in Colombo with a focus to develop the fashion industry in the country.

A three-day fashion-fest spanning from 8 to 10 October at the Kingsbury Hotel Colombo will be a great confluence of the season’s most coveted international and local designers coming under one roof and working their magic with styles and ​trends which make the style and beauty nothing less than a ​splendour, innovation, colour and inspiration.

Aimed at the younger generation of fashionistas, who are known to be true connoisseurs, and who are especially discerning when it comes to all things glamorous and fashionable, the Lakme Sri Lanka Fashion Week by Divalicious will not only make its mark in 2016; but is already planning a slate of shows that will grow year on year, ensuring that it will build itself into a regular, much looked forward to fixture in the local fashion industry’s annual calendar. 

Lakme Sri Lanka Fashion Week by Divalicious Co- Founder and President Sahan Hewadewa spearheading a press briefing in Colombo noted that its spotlight is to create and continue to propel the fashion industry to greater heights as well as to experiment newer and innovative fashion concepts for local and international audiences.

An offshoot of the famous Lakme Fashion Week in India, which frequently showcases celebrity designers along with show-stopping Bollywood stars, Hewadewa said it was his vision to bring that international fashion week to Sri Lanka.

“I thought it was needed to the fashion industry in Sri Lanka. We wanted to do something different. Our fashion show is targeted at young fashionistas. We are not limiting ourselves to the exclusive society of Colombo, but want to reach to outskirts as we aim to educate the Sri Lankan market on fashion, fashion seasons and on the latest fashion trends in the world,” he added.

The main show scheduled on 10 October will see the collections of seven Indian designers including Babita Malkani, Neeta Lulla, Masaba Gupta alongside four Sri Lankan designers. There will be a mix of Indian and Sri Lankan models on the ramp. The fashion exhibition will take place from 8 to 9 October at the Kingsbury which is open for the general public with entry free. The fashion-fest also includes an exclusive Lakme makeup master class on 8 October. 

Hewadewa assured that Lakme Sri Lanka Fashion Week by Divalicious would undoubtedly prove to be a first-of-its-kind fashion spectacle in Sri Lanka’s as well as Asia’s most iconic fashion event.  Lakme Sri Lanka Fashion Week by Divalicious is also presented in cooperation with Colombo Fashion Council, headed by Prassanna Pathmanathan, who’s also the Co-founder of this prestigious fashion week. 

Commenting on the event Pathmanathan said: “Our aim is to take this particular platform to the masses because I personally believe that fashion should not be limited to a particular audience. It needs to be available to all walks of life.”

He added that in the coming years they plan to have Lakme Sri Lanka Fashion Week by Divalicious outside Colombo such as in Kandy and Jaffna as there are many talented youngsters who are keen on the fashion industry to become models, fashion designers, suppliers and so on. 

“Lakme Sri Lanka Fashion Week by Divalicious is a show with a purpose. We want to make fashion available for all via this show with international standards. Fashion is not just an entertainment business, it is to think of innovative ways of including the prospects of fashion design in Sri Lanka and to nurture new talent in the local design industry,” he pointed out.

In addition, partnering on this venture is fashion entrepreneur and stylish Vanita Bhatia of Divalicious, the premier fashion exhibition and show that has showcased in Dubai, Johannesburg, Hong Kong, Jakarta, who will bring down to Colombo a great line up of fashion forward people. The common thread between all participants at Divalicious is quality, exclusivity and style, underlined by a desire to offer the discerning clientele of Colombo a taste of the best of festive season.

Pix by Daminda 

Harsha Perera