12 September 2023 11:11 am Views - 285
The label will incorporate pieces where traditional crafts, such as dumbara weaving, beeralu lace, bamboo and palmyra fibre fabric, crochet, handloom and batik printing will be the mainstay of the collection.
The Ceylon Heritage Festival Fashion Show will take place on September 27 at the Galle Face Hotel, Colombo.
Tickets are priced
Rs. 5000 and is inclusive of the fashion show and cocktail beverages. Tickets will be available at Ramani Fernando Salons - Elibank Road (Tuesday-Saturday 9.30 – 5pm) and Borella ( 9.30 – 5pm Daily) and Playtrix Sports Bar Colombo City Centre (11-6pm Daily).
For years, Sri Lanka’s textile cottage industries have been one of the island’s best-kept secrets. From our dumbara weavers in the hill country to our beeralu lace makers down south and our palymrah fibre textiles from the north, nowhere in the world boasts the unique craftsmanship and quality of this centuries-old artisanal textiles. The art of the craft is privy to only a select few in rural Sri Lanka and has been passed down from generation to generation in order to keep this art form alive.
Unfortunately, being the island's best-kept secret is slowly killing this indigenous craft as artisans struggle to compete with the cheaper, lower-quality alternatives with little to no access or support to enter new markets. Where countries like Mexico and Africa, which create unique textiles, market their cultural crafts to the world, our traditional textiles fly under the radar with limited global exposure. Coupled together with soaring costs of living and finding little opportunity in the industry, this generational heritage craft is on the decline and very much at risk of disappearing altogether.
In celebration of her label's 10th anniversary this year, Sarita founded the Rachel Raj Foundation to empower and promote traditional textile crafts in international markets. Together with the Ministry of Industries, under the guidance of the Minister, Hon. (Dr.) Ramesh Pathirana and the Industrial Development Board, the Ceylon Heritage Festival was conceptualised to showcase Sri Lanka's heritage industries of fashion, art, music, literature, and more. While the Festival is set to be an annual encounter, the inaugural event will be marked by a Fashion Show this year, in a conscious effort to preserve the country's resources given the current economic crunch.
The show will also feature pieces designed by the graduates of Moratuwa University's Fashion Textile Engineering department. Following the launch of the brand, the Heritage Hands collection will be made available exclusively at Laksala stores islandwide. Speaking on the IDB’s endorsement and support given to the Festival and the Heritage Hands label, Chairman of the IDB, Dr. Saranga Alahapperuma shared that the Board together with the Ministry are looking positively at this show as it is the first ever fashion show dedicated solely to the cottage industries. “Over 20,000 skilled artisans work in this industry, but sadly, because they aren't utilising modern marketing techniques to expand into new markets and because they frequently target low-end local markets, there is little industry growth and very little interaction from the younger generations because they don't see much future potential in their craft right now. Because of this, we want to take it on and support these artisans by making it easier for them to access new, international markets.”
The Ceylon Heritage Festival Fashion Show will be presented to foreign buyers and the diplomatic strata as well as the public in hopes of attracting international buyers and fostering collaborations that can further boost the export of these industries and pave the way to enter new markets. The Festival not only aims to contribute to the growth of Sri Lanka's economy and bring exposure to international markets, but also, and perhaps more importantly, help preserve and pass down the art of traditional textile crafting to future generations.