The show will unveil the best of resort wear fashion including fifteen ‘Bright Spark’ shows at the start of the week leading up to twenty main shows by established designers. The ‘Bright Spark’ shows will also unveil the collection from Peronie Nadine Stefel who is the first ‘Bright Spark’ designer to be awarded the fund created by CFW in its ongoing effort to develop and support up-and-coming fashion designers.
Commenting the HSBC CFW Resort Show, Ajai V Singh, President, Colombo Fashion Week stated, “The creation of resort wear as a season is vital for us as we can play on our strengths and make us shine by the grace of God.
Resort wear is a growing category and we want to lead its growth in this part of the world. We can’t do much in terms of fashion with the Fall and Winter seasons, so for designer businesses to grow we need a second season along with Spring and Summer. Two years ago we found that resort wear worked well as our second season. With continuous innovation, we will keep driving this category to greater heights, creating more opportunities for Sri Lankan fashion designers and the industry.”
CFW is one of the three main Fashion Weeks in Asia which have been running for more than 10 years. It is also one of two fashion weeks in Asia which has introduced a dedicated resort wear season in its annual calendar, in addition to its Spring/Summer season. In just two years it has grown to become a four-day event and has shown an ever-increasing growth pattern. The HSBC CFW Resort Wear Show is unique because it takes place at a resort and this time Jetwing Blue and Beach in Negombo will play host to the highly anticipated event.
Singh further added, “There’s a valid reason for promoting resort wear, it’s not just part of our efforts to make Sri Lanka a destination for fashion entertainment, it’s part of our plan to make an international impact in the fashion industry. As our plans for CFW’s growth continued to unfold CFW became part of Asian Fashion Week (AFW). Five Sri Lankan designers who showcased their work at CFW, were selected to show their collections at AFW in Indonesia. Sri Lankan designer, Sonali Dharmawardena even had the honour of opening Asian Fashion Week this year. Colombo Fashion Week is now being recognized internationally for the impact it is making on the local fashion industry and every aspect of fashion in Sri Lanka.”
Along with 17 established Sri Lankan fashion designers, there will be three international heavyweights at the HSBC CFW Resort Wear Show who will add an interesting dimension to the show. Abraham & Thakore, a designer duo and label from the Indian fashion industry which has won accolades and recognitions around world, will be showing in Sri Lanka for the first time. Harare, a label owned by Caroline Fuss will also show at the HSBC CFW Resort Wear Show. Caroline showed at New York Fashion Week just last week and was well received by the fashion community. The third international designer to be featured at the show includes a CFW loyalist and the show’s best international ambassador; Bibi Russell. She is a world-renowned fashion designer and icon who is also a Goodwill Ambassador for UNESCO.
In addition to several ramp events this not-for-profit annual event stays true to its vision of developing and uplifting Colombo’s fashion design industry through its behind-the-scenes mentoring process and workshops. This year at the HSBC Colombo Fashion Week workshop will be held on the 4 October and will focus on a theme titled, ‘The use of indigenous textiles in fashion’. Renowned designers Bibi Russell, Harare and Abraham & Takore will also join the workshop to share their knowledge and experience.
Every year, as part of the CFW plan, new additions are made to the seasonal CFW calendar. This year CFW Resort will see designer Pop-up stores being created with the support of TATA housing. TATA housing held a competition among final year architecture students and the designs of two students were selected and awarded. A total of 15 Pop-up stores for each designer brand will be set up at the venue, Jetwing Beach, enabling guests to see the latest collections in a well-designed retail environment. As This year, as part of the Fashion + Food series of CFW, a Michellin star chef from Paris and an internationally acclaimed Malaysian chef will be at the event. The chefs will provide delightful cuisines every evening, bringing in a design element to the show from the culinary arts. There will be special menus available on 1and 2 October, the day of the ‘Bright Spark’ shows and the menus will continue to evolve till the show comes to a close on 5 October.
The HSBC Colombo Fashion Week Resort Show, now in its third year, premiers from the 1 to 4 October 2014 at Jetwing Blue and Jetwing Beach. The partners of CFW who strengthen the show’s vision and help make it a continuous success are; HSBC, Colombo Jewellery Stores, Land Rover, Jetwing, Ponds, TATA Housing, Vision Care, Spa Ceylon, Brandix, Wineworld, Hameedia, Hellmann Logistics, Leo Burnett, Cotton Collection, zMessenger, Ramani Fernando Salons, Mal-key rent-a-car and Fashion TV.
The HSBC CFW Resort Show will end with a fabulous themed after-party on 4 October following the final show. Anticipated to be the party event of the season, tickets for the after party will soon be on sale. Those interested can follow the CFW official website on www.colombofashionweek.com and the official CFW Facebook page on www.facebook.com/colombofashionweek for regular updates.
