Regarded as the backbone of the Sri Lankan fashion industry, the Colombo Fashion Week (CFW) was established in 2003 and introduced ‘Spring/Summer’ as its primary season the same year. In 2012, CFW launched ‘Resort’ as a second season in its calendar. This year, CFW introduces ‘Swim’ as a third annual season to showcase the latest trends and collections in swimwear and raise Sri Lanka’s profile in the global swimwear industry.

OLU Tropical Water presents CFW Swim which aims to launch Sri Lanka as a swimwear hub in Asia and serve as a leading platform for swimwear designers and manufacturers in the region and beyond. CFW Swim is technically supported by state-of-the-art swimwear manufacturer, Linea Aqua and will showcase the latest collections of nine Sri Lankan and three international swimwear labels. Hosted by Hilton Colombo, CFW Swim will be held on August 7 and 8 at the Hilton Colombo poolside.

Speaking at the press conference to launch the title ‘Swim’, President and Founder of CFW, Ajai V. Singh said that swimwear is strategic to Sri Lanka in terms of both fashion consumption and manufacturing. “It is a platform that Sri Lanka can boast of internationally. In terms of relevance, CFW Swim is presented by its title partner, OLU, a rare and luxurious brand of tropical water from Sri Lanka that is destined for international recognition. We are also pleased to have Linea Aqua as our partner, who shares our vision of creating a global impact with this platform.”

The title partner of CFW Swim, OLU Tropical Water, is a new and proud Sri Lankan brand of natural mineral water. OLU Tropical Water is sourced from one of the rarest cloud forests in Sri Lanka which are found 4,300 feet above sea level. CFW also partners with Linea Aqua, Sri Lanka’s foremost manufacturer of swimwear, to realize its vision to project Sri Lanka as a  hub form swimwear design and manufacturing amongst the global creative class.

CFW Swim is also enriched by its partnerships with Nissan, Yamaha, Ramani Fernando Salons and Leo Burnett who will join hands as the Official Automobile Partner, Official Jet Ski brand, Official Hair and Make-up Partner and Official PR Partner respectively, along with American & Efird Lanka and Bodyline, who believes in the visions and aspirations of CFW.

By Kamanthi Wickramasinghe
Photographs by Kushan Pathiraja