Next month's Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF) has broadened its scope with the inclusion of several new elements, including design education and logistics forums, alongside its flagship South Asian Apparel Leadership Forum (SAALF).
SLDF, which takes place in Colombo from November 15-18, is an international platform for Sri Lanka's fashion, design and craft industries and the SAALF aims to bring together all stakeholders in the supply chain under an ethical umbrella – something which is at the core of Sri Lanka's apparel industry.
"SAALF is a bringing together of the entire value chain in a manner that competing interests are addressed through dialogue and a true collaborative mindset to deliver value to the consumer," said SLDF chairman Nikhil Hirdaramani.
Sri Lanka is positioning itself as a hub for regional supply chains, and as well as the SAALF the new logistics forum, jointly hosted by SLDF and Hellmann Worldwide Fashion, also aims to highlight the country's advantages.
"Sri Lanka enjoys a geographical advantage which puts us square in the middle of all major shipping routes between the East and the West, making us uniquely capable, as a regional hub, to both add value and shorten lead times," said Hirdaramani.
"By keeping our focus on design & development, fabric and trims lead time, production capacity and pre-production sampling we are able to give our customers the advantages of in-season styling, optimising full-price sales, reducing markdown merchandise and avoiding missed trends."
Also making its debut at SLDF is the 21st Century Design Education Forum, which will be led by Professor Steven Kyffin, Dean of Northumbria University School of Design, and feature speakers including Wendy Dagworthy from the UK's Royal College of Art and Jane Rapley, the exhead of Central Saint Martins.
The event will also feature a sustainable fashion symposium, fashion shows, an Island Craft exhibition and a fashion show which brings together the work of villages and artisans from across Sri Lanka, while visitors also have the opportunity for pre-arranged B2B meetings with manufacturers in the region.
