Wednesday Oct 07, 2026
Wednesday Oct 07, 2026
Wednesday, 7 October 2026 05:13 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka opens today at Cinnamon Life, bringing fashion, design and luxury experiences into the heart of Colombo.
Presented by AOD and powered by DIMO, the week brings together emerging talent, established designers, business leaders and the Mercedes-Benz community, united by a shared ambition for the city’s future.
As DIMO and AOD look towards a decade of partnership in 2027, this year’s edition opens a conversation about what comes next. The opportunity is to build on Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka’s platform, connecting Sri Lankan creativity with international audiences and giving Colombo a distinctive place in the region’s fashion and lifestyle calendar.
DIMO’s role is central to that ambition, bringing Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week to Sri Lanka and the brand into a cultural setting where design, personal style and relationships matter. It also gives the Mercedes-Benz community new occasions to meet, exchange ideas and experience the city together. For DIMO, building this community is part of delivering the Mercedes-Benz lifestyle in Sri Lanka. Through fashion, conversation and carefully curated experiences, the brand becomes part of people’s lives, interests and aspirations.
The launch of “She’s Mercedes” in Sri Lanka during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka adds a new dimension to that relationship, creating a space for women to connect and contribute to its future.
DIMO Executive Director Rajeev Pandithage said: “Mercedes-Benz, with over 140 years of innovation, represents a way of life that cannot simply be purchased from a showroom. At DIMO, we bring that world to life through the experiences we create, the community we build and the expert care we provide throughout the ownership journey. From personalised service to trusted technical expertise, every interaction reflects a commitment to the standards Mercedes-Benz owners expect. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka is part of that commitment, connecting people through a shared appreciation of design, culture and exceptional lifestyle experiences. That relationship begins with an interest in the brand and grows well beyond ownership.”
From AOD’s perspective, the partnership connects creative talent with an audience that can help it grow. Designers need visibility, but they also need customers, commissions, commercial relationships and people willing to invest in their ideas. Bringing creativity into the same room as business leaders and an affluent, internationally connected community creates the conditions for those relationships to begin. AOD’s role is to conceive and build that platform, drawing on its work in design education and the creative industries.
As it marks 25 years in 2026, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka gives that work a public stage, placing new talent alongside established creative businesses and showing how education can lead into enterprise.
AOD Founder and Chairperson Linda Speldewinde said: “Innovation needs places where creative ideas meet people who can help realise them. Our partnership with DIMO brings designers into a community that values design and can become their customers, collaborators and investors. For us, the substance of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka lies in those connections and what they make possible: stronger creative businesses, new opportunities for talent and a more ambitious future for Colombo.”
Fashion and the city economy
The economic opportunity extends across Colombo. A compelling programme gives people a reason to spend time in the city, stay in its hotels, dine in its restaurants, shop and take part in its evening life. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka can connect these experiences, encouraging visitors and residents to explore more of what Colombo has to offer. Behind every runway is another network of economic activity: designers, garment makers, models, stylists, photographers, production crews and event suppliers. A sustained fashion platform can generate work across that network while helping local labels reach buyers and develop their businesses. The longer-term ambition is to turn that activity into a stronger creative economy. A recognisable annual calendar can help businesses plan around the event, encourage partnerships across sectors and build international interest over time. For Colombo, the value lies in developing experiences that people want to return for, supported by creative businesses capable of growing with that demand. Luxury also has a role in this conversation. Fashion, hospitality and the Mercedes-Benz community bring together audiences who value design, service and distinctive experiences. Connecting them with Sri Lankan creative enterprise opens possibilities for patronage, collaboration and investment, while giving local talent access to new markets.
Bringing the business community into the conversation
The Daily FT’s partnership forms part of the wider support of Wijeya Newspapers, whose other media titles also help bring Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka to audiences across the country. That collective support gives the event a broader public presence and helps tell the stories of the people and businesses behind it.
The Daily FT has a particular role in connecting fashion and creativity with the business community. Its coverage provides a place to examine the commercial potential of design, the opportunities for investment and the contribution that a more active creative sector can make to Colombo’s growth. This opening-day partnership therefore looks beyond the programme itself. It brings a business perspective to the ambition shared by DIMO and AOD: to build a platform that supports creative enterprise, strengthens relationships across industries and helps make Colombo a more vibrant, internationally connected city. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka begins today with the runway as its focal point. As DIMO and AOD approach their next decade together, the wider opportunity is to carry that energy into the city, creating relationships and business opportunities that continue long after the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka ends.
