CFW Director Ajai Virr Singh with HSBC CEO Nick Nicolau

 

Tonight, the show opener was a collection by Agatha Ruiz de la Prada.  In Colombo for the third time, Agatha remarked that some of her beachwear clothes are designed especially for Sri Lanka.  Almost exactly 31 years have passed since Agatha's first fashion show, and her clothes have retained the explosion of colour that marked her eruption onto the fashion scene.  "I haven't changed very much," she explains, "I fell in love with colour when I started, and that passion remains with me now."  Agatha described her varied work: graphic design in the creation of posters, theatre costumes, and of course her collection of notebooks and stationery.  Many of these pieces can be found in her newly opened studio in Madrid, whose orange floor and fuchsia walls host an eclectic collection of old and new clothes and accessories.  Particularly of note tonight were her asymmetrical bags, flaunted by models blowing air kisses towards the audience.  

 

Agatha, wearing pink tights, a blue dress with a huge red heart on it, and a pink "heart" hair band, presented Deneth with the Gen Next Award, rewarding her ethical line of clothes with prestige and continued support over the course of the next year.  "I'm so excited!" squealed Deneth, "I had no idea this was happening - it comes as such a surprise.  I wanted to call my mother but my phone battery had died. I couldn't believe it!" 

 

Deneth with Agatha

 

Deneth wasn't the only designer to receive an award.  Yoland was the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, commended for collections that are Sri Lankan in spirit and global in appeal.  Walking out on the catwalk to a standing ovation, wearing a stunning outfit of her own creation, the designer thanked the organizers of the event for the honour bestowed upon her. 

 

The collections tonight were more varied than on the other days: we saw jewellery lines, including very bright pieces from Colombo Jewellery Stores, and beachwear by Arugam Bay.  The espadrilles worn by the real surfers (as well as professional models) were a personal favourite: a selection of dual-coloured casual shoes combining yellow and red, red and green, or green and blue. The audience favourite, judging by the applause, was Rizwan Beyg, whose white and turquoise, following clothes contrasted to the very colourful selection he showed last year.  "This collection took six to eight months to create," says Rizwan. "It was a labour of love, made especially for Colombo Fashion Week.  I really love coming here each year, it's something I look forward to!" 

 

Rizwan Beyg

 

Also to be commended is the work of Ramani Fernando, hair stylist for the event.  "It's a tricky evening because we have three or four very different looks: the first is pulled back, away from the face, which is what the first designers wanted.  Then we have a very straight look. But for the beachwear collections we have loose buns and braids, and then we finish everything off with a visual surprise."  Indeed, for showstopper Yoland, the models wore elegant buns, complementing the bold makeup.  Nina Jafferji, makeup artist, had adorned the faces with sequins to end the show with bright sparkles.  

 

Ramani and one of her hairstylists

 

The models should be commended on their brilliant work on all three days.  Many have come from India, but there are also a significant number of Sri Lankan models who were thrilled to be showcasing the work of Sri Lankan and international designers in collections that fused east and west.  "It's not always easy," says Perine Fernando, CFW spokesmodel.  Perine virtually grew up on the runways, starting at the age of 16.  You would never guess that Perine could possibly have made any blunders: she has been stunning each day. And yet she recalls, "I never fell on my face, or anything like that.  But I did literally walk into other models, and sometimes I would take the wrong turn and realize there was no door on that side, and make my way back across to the right exit." 

 

What a whirlwind three days: with fringe shows each day by students, a workshop by William Richard Green, an award for a young designer and one for continued success, and of course a fabulous lineup of designers showcasing their work, the 2012 Colombo Fashion Week will keep fashionistas talking for months to come.  No doubt they will have the opportunity to exchange tips and compare outfits at Cotton Collection, Melache, Aashki, Cantaloupe boutique and Trunk.  These five retail stores will be selling pieces from all the Sri Lankan designers who participated in CFW this year.  

 

 

Here are the designers and their creations that were displayed on Day 3. 

 

 

Rizwan Beyg

 

 

This Pakistani designer was named “One of the 100 Most Influential Asians”, along with the likes of Sonia Gandhi and Amir Khan, by Ahlan, a Dubai lifestyle magazine. He was the first designer in Pakistan to introduce the concepts of Haute Couture, designer bridal wear, designer home furnishings and accessories, thus he has radically transformed the fashion silhouette of Pakistan. His long-time goal has been to perfect the art of embroidery and embellishment and fuse East with West. He was asked to design an ivory ensemble for Princess Diana, and other  high profile clients have followed, including HRH Princess Sarvath of Jordan and Jemima Khan, and the Sheikha of Sharjah. His collections have graced catwalks all over the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ramona Oshini

 

 

Ramona Oshini Jayawardena is a Colombo-based designer who brings out simple elegance through her creations. Her namesake collection, Ramona Oshini was founded and launched at Colombo Fashion Week 2010. Her 2012 resort collection is inspired by our island paradise, where the blue sea is all around us. The collection revolves around a person’s perspective from the beach--the sand, the froth and the waves blending into turquoises and shades of blue. The Ramona Oshini brand is available at Melache.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stringhopper

 

Stringhopper captures the essence of modern tropical living. The product of Stringhopper Design Studio--an incubation centre for Sri Lankan sensibility expressed through designed collections—debuted at Colombo Fashion Week 2009.  Then, it added another twist to its line by introducing CONSCIENCE by Stringhopper at Colombo Fashion week 2010. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colombo Jewellery Stores

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spa Ceylon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

William Richard Green 

 

Born in the countryside near Birmingham, Green moved to London for university. Green trained on Savile Row and at David David; this juxtaposition of experience gave him an insight into craftsmanship and cut mixed with the light, playful nature of a graphics-based street wear label. In 2009, he earned a degree from Central Saint Martins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jason and Anshu 

 

 

Smallshop is a collaborative between Anshu and Jason, created in the middle of 2006 when they began retailing home and fashion, respectively, out of two stand-alone stores in Bangalore. Soon other boutique stores across India were added, and Ananda in Spain, as well, but their designs have made their way throughout the world.  The smallshop aesthetic can be best summed up as vibrant, painterly whimsical and luxuriously languid.  The ‘Luxury’ stems from the various unique hand processes the product goes through, the use of natural fabrics, which are finally translated into clothes that are soft, draped and artistic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Agatha Ruiz de la Prada 

 

 

Spain’s number 1 and one of Europe's top designers.  Her creations are true forms of artistic expression, so certain design pieces are exhibited in galleries throughout Spain. With fashion collections recurrent in catwalks in Spain, France, Italy, Colombia, Poland, Greece, Santo Domingo, The United States, and Mexico, among others, her art exhibitions are not far behind, reaching destinations such as Tokyo, New York, Paris, Moscow, and Bucharest. Her family of licensed products includes just about anything you could find in the best department stores, and is distributed in 140 countries. Last year, 2011, in honour of the 30th anniversary of her first fashion show, Agatha inaugurated the Agatha Ruiz de la Prada Foundation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arugam Bay

 

Arugam Bay beachwear draws its inspiration from Arugam Bay, one of the most amazing surfing destinations in the world. The brand captures the natural vitality, colours, mood, sense of space and magic of the east coast of Sri Lanka, and squeezes them into a collection filled with fun and energy. The colours of Sri Lanka have played a major role in defining the creative view point for the brand. Look out for their new prints and beach accessories. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yoland

 

Wrapping human form in great works of art is what Yolanda Aluwihare-Holm strives for with each piece of her collection. Year after year the Yoland Collection continues to create more luxurious, unique pieces that exude vibrant colour, texture and design whether a dress, saree or a shawl.

Yolanda herself has become one of the most celebrated designers in Sri Lanka, winning coveted awards nationally and internationally. Her clientele includes past Presidents, socialites and the glitterati of the local film fraternity, as well as international former first ladies and a huge following in Europe, Japan, India and the Middle East. When the Yoland Collection was awarded The Asian Top Fashionable Selling Brand of the year 2011 in China, it was the first time a Sri Lankan brand surpassed those in Singapore, Mongolia, Korea, and Thailand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pics by Manoj Ratnayake