Three-day HSBC Colombo Fashion Week starts today

From among the local designers there will be close to ten fresh new designers with their authentic Sri Lankan collections. Nadya Iqbal, Dimuthu, Sonali, Indie, Upeksha and Kasuni and are a few of the new local designers who will be showcasing their collections for the first time this year.

In addition the regulars to look out for are; Yolande, Darshi, FH Studio, Fahad Sheriff, Asanga, Sarani and Kanchana.

Stringhopper, which debuted at HSBC Colombo Fashion Week 2009, Arugam Bay, LICC, Avirate, Embark and Colombo Jewellery Stores, will also show this year.

Meanwhile HSBC Colombo Fashion Week has partnered with British Council as a knowledge partner this year to conduct workshops during the three days of the event.

As part of this partnership, British Council will bring down Sally Denton, Managing Director, The trend Boutique (UK) Ltd. to conduct the workshops on 4, 5 and 6 February from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hilton Colombo.

Sally Denton has over 15 years experience working across trends, business support and education having previously managed one of the UK’s most successful and recognised organisations for fashion and textiles.

She has also worked for Paris-based trend forecasters, Carlin International where she was responsible for the UK market, as well as delivering trend presentations and briefings to clients on a one-to-one basis and through national conferences and International trade fairs. She now runs her own business that offers an online trends & resource, conference programme, and consultancy service to academia.

The workshops will cover:

Trends – Overview of how trends work, how to identify, key references and how to adapt for own market, followed by an overview of key fashion and textile trends and business support for new designer labels – how to identify market, key areas of running own labels, identifying market, PR and marketing and how to approach buyers.

HSBC Colombo Fashion Week is not complete without the support of its valued partners HSBC – The world’s local bank, Colombo Jewellery Stores, Sri Lanka Apparel, DHL, Sri Lanka Tourism, Sri Lankan Airlines, Hilton Colombo, Avirate, Odel, Hameedias, Alpha Orient, Ramani Fernando Salons, Video Image, G2 and Airtel, which will do live mobile streaming of the show.

SriLankan Airlines official airline

partner for HSBC CFW

HSBC Colombo Fashion Week, which is gearing up for another edition will have SriLankan Airlines as its official airline partner. HSBC Colombo Fashion Week, informally referred as South Asia’s only international fashion week will have 12 international designers participating along with 22 Sri Lankan fashion design labels.

The national carrier will fly in a host of models, designers and fashion industry professionals for the event from all parts of their network which has 50 destinations in 31 countries.  

A special highlight of the Colombo fashion week will be the national carrier SriLankan Airlines’ stewardesses showcasing their new uniform on the catwalk. The new uniform still retains its traditional Kandyan drape and peacock motif, but comes in a hue which reflects the ocean’s blue.

Fashion Weeks are a format that attracts global creative class, a targeted group for any tourism and a high value destination. Sri Lankan Airlines and HSBC Colombo Fashion Week aim to draw synergy to focusing on this target groups in the region.