CFW 2024 puts bigger focus on highlighting Colombo as a fashion and leisure destination

By Divya Thotawatte

The 21st edition of Colombo Fashion Week (CFW) is to be held from 6 to 9 March across three Colombo hotels, bringing global attention to the city and its culture from multiple locations.

This year, too, CFW that is presented by Mastercard will have a focus on sustainability in fashion and supporting local and international designers and emerging designers. But this time, hosting the fashion week at three different locations; Cinnamon Grand, Taj Samudra and Galle Face Hotel, CFW is to service the country further by promoting Colombo as an attractive cultural destination.

CFW Founder and Managing Director Ajai Vir Singh said: “This is Colombo Fashion Week’s 21st year and we plan to use the platform to showcase Colombo not only as a vibrant destination for travellers but also as a centre that facilitates the creative industries. We want our platforms to showcase Sri Lanka in the region. Colombo Fashion Week will take place across multiple locations on Galle Road; it’s a new format.”

He further noted that combining fashion, food, culture, etc., CFW 2024 is aimed at creating an immersive experience centred on the vibrant nature of Colombo. Therefore, this year, CFW will go beyond the catwalk, embracing the city as its muse. 

Fashion events showcasing works and collections of established and emerging Sri Lankan designers will be held across iconic landmarks in Colombo. The fashion week will further include discussions that delve into the industry’s trends and the impact of CFW on Sri Lanka’s fashion landscape.

Making it a global fashion event, this edition of CFW will showcase international designers from Italy, England, Pakistan, and India including – Samant Chauhan, Payal Pratap, Alessandra Lorusso, Manoviraj Khosla, Afsana Ferdousi, Charlotte Allen, who will showcase along prominent Sri Lankan designers such as Asanka De Mel, Darshi Keerthisena, Sonali Dharmawardena, Amilani Perera, Aslam Hussein, Kamil Hewawitharana, Dinushi Pamunuwa, Ayesh Wickramaratne, Charini Suriyage. There will be over 10 emerging designers who will also showcase their collections during the fashion week.

CFW is one of the first global fashion events to embrace sustainable fashion where under Singh’s leadership, CFW has introduced initiatives such as Ethical Fashion Day, the Responsible Fashion Summit, and the innovative tool, Responsible Meter. These efforts have positioned CFW as a leader in ethical fashion globally. 

With the support of Mastercard, CFW further aims to digitise sustainability by 2025 while also realising its vision of nurturing and supporting SMEs along the way.

Partners of CFW 2024 include Cinnamon Grand Colombo, Taj Samudra Colombo and Galle Face Hotel Colombo as host hotels, Chupa Chups by Perfetti, NDB Wealth Management, Juniper Group, Vision Care, Tresamme, Ramani Fernando, Hameedia, Wijeya Newspapers, Hardtalk, and Emerging Media.