The Grand Ballroom of Shangri La, Colombo came alive last evening with CFW Olu Swim Week 2021.

CFW presented Day One of Olu Swim Week 2021, with a special focus on Luxury Resort Wear last evening. The event was held in accordance with the current health guidelines and restrictions. It was a hybrid event with the shows being telecast live via Digital and Social Media platforms, including HI!! Online and Daily Mirror Online, and a limited number of guests attending. The current ‘New Normal’ presents an interesting scenario for fashion designers, where aspects of sustainability play an important role alongside providing the design solution a fashion consumer expects.

Over the last year or so, fashion took a massive hit, as it is an SME industry in the region and the ecosystem it supports faced a negative impact. With this edition of Swim Week, the team at CFW aims to uplift and revive this creative industry and its ecosystem.

“These are interesting and challenging times for any industry, especially so for fashion and apparel when most of the design focus was on occasion wear. Lockdowns robbed that focus, hence a lot of adjusting had to be done,” stated Ajai Vir Singh, Founder and Managing Director, CFW. “Designers have to study the new environment to create new design solutions in the ‘New Normal’. This season is the second one within this environment and CFW remains committed to mentoring, fine-tuning and uplifting with a key focus on sustainable aspects specially Circularity. The ‘New Normal’ has challenges but it also presents new opportunities and this Swim Week aims to bring a shift in the mindset and responsible positivity into society.”

“This season sets the stage for the most appropriate conversation, ‘The Environment is Luxury,’ also the theme for this season’s event. We celebrate the Luxury Resort Edition embracing the good of fashion on and off the ramp. We look forward to honoring our vibrant city as the backdrop for Day Two of the show, from the Marina, Port City, Colombo,” stated Fazeena Rajabdeen, CEO, Colombo Fashion Week.

Speaking to Daily Mirror, Dinushi Pamunuwa stated that her collection, “For Her, is a celebration of Batik craft and the strength in all women, and this is what La Pard will be showcasing at this year’s Olu Colombo Swim Week.” Designer Divya Jayawickrama, added that ‘the concept name of my collection is ‘Secret Beach’ and it is inspired by the Moroccan culture and it’s deserts. A unique block printing method was used in the creation of my outfits. Also keeping the environment in mind, I have been following a zero-waste method throughout my creative process to ensure that the garments are created in a sustainable manner.” Designers Tivon Prasad and Seema Moceri who showcased their collection last evening stated that their collection is very much based on color and pattern. “We are paying tribute to two incredibly strong women in our theme, namely Frida Khalo and Iris Apfel. We’ve actually designed our very own fabric based on these two strong women.

Darshi Keerthisena Fouzal Hameed

Through our theme we want to convey the message of strength and confidence, and especially, being confident in what you wear irrespective of your size or ethnicity.” Speaking about her collection which she will be showcasing later today at Day Two of Olu Swim Week, designer Indi Yapa Abeywardena stated that, “the desire to travel and resume social connections and create positivity for the environment we live in and it’s community is where the latest collection of INDI drives its’ inspiration from.”

This is CFW’s eighteenth year and, since inception, it’s remained single-minded about promoting and expanding the fashion design industry of Sri Lanka while anchoring on sustainable practices which keeps evolving. Close to 85% of designers in Sri Lanka have come through the CFW design system.

This year, CFW presents a uniquely formatted Swim Week edition, with an interesting setting and presentations. The week of 8th November saw the 6th edition of the Responsible Fashion Summit presented by JAAF Sri Lanka Apparel at the Shangri La Hotel. It was a single day hybrid thought leadership forum that bought together international and local apparel leaders and experts for discussion. In 2020, the Responsible Fashion Movement worked with CFW to create a garment evaluation tool called Responsible Meter, wher

every garment presented had a responsible score. Renowned Sri Lankan designers will showcase at the Luxury Resort Wear edition, including Darshi Keerthisena, Charini Suriyage, Fouzul Hameed, Aslam Hussain, and others.

CFW, a developmental platform started in 2003, in a systematic manner, created formats that demand transformation across the key pillars that would define a fashion industry. CFW’s mission is to establish, develop and maintain an efficient fashion eco-system that incubates the best of Sri Lankan fashion design. The various companies of CFW focus on different aspects of fashion, from fashion week platforms, creative events, media, sustainable fashion, education-based programs, and fashion brands.

DIVYA JAYAWICKRAMA

 “the desire to travel and resume social connections and create positivity for the environment we live in and it’s community is where the latest collection of INDI drives its’ inspiration from.”