Colombo Fashion Week

Sally Danton in Sri Lanka:

Amalshan Gunerathne

Will you dare to wear those whimsical, fanciful outfits that you see on fashion shows for public functions? What is the point of showcasing designs that one wouldn’t dare wear at a simple public event? Isn’t a fancy dress parade a better name for such quirky fashion shows?

Those were few questions that we raised from Sally Danton, the experienced British fashion entrepreneur when she was here in Sri Lanka for the Colombo Fashion Week.

Sally, the jovial, cheerful person she is, was very humble in admitting that, “Obviously it is a ploy to bring press coverage. The more outrageous and extravagant your designs are, the more publicity that you get. But it is not necessarily a bad thing; it also allows designers to be expressive. There may be pieces that will never even make it to the stores, but it spurs creativity and gives them the opportunity of showcasing their talent to the full.”

‘The trend Boutique (UK) Ltd’ Managing Director Sally, was here in Sri Lanka in parallel to the HSBC Colombo Fashion Week. She conducted workshops during the week to discuss her expert views on how to identify new market trends, key areas of running your own labels, public relations, how to approach buyers and how to adapt to our own market.

Sally has over 15 years experience working across trends, business support and education. She has also worked for Paris-based trend forecasters, Carlin International where she was responsible for the UK market, as well as delivering trend presentations and briefings to clients on a one-to-one basis.

Sharing her thoughts on the workshop Sally said, “We did a presentation on trends from Carlin international. It was nice to see their reaction to Paris trends. What we tried to do was to relate to those designs and analyze what might work for Sri Lanka. Hopefully it will give them some inspiration and spur their creativity.”

Sally was impressed by the talents and potential showed by Sri Lankan designers. She believes that with the right guidance, local designers can stamp unique identity on the international fashion industry.

“Yes, I think they can. The thing is to really finding that niche within the market, just presuming that they can do wonders and create something that can sell really well in London or Paris is not realistic. It is all about taking one step at a time. There is no reason why they shouldn’t succeed at international level. But they need to understand what they can bring to the international fashion industry. What I personally believe is that they should take traditional dressings, craftsmanship and its beauty to the world fashion market. It is only by doing so that can create an own identity.”

She was in love with the traditional Sri Lankan dresses and designs. “When I was watching the catwalk shows, I was more interested in traditional Sri Lankan fashions. It was something completely new to me. I was fascinated by the beautiful fabrics and the workmanship that has gone in to these designs. You won’t believe, my camera was popping away snapping the pictures of those designs.” Sally responded in her usual buoyant tone.

This is Sally’s first visit to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is no longer the war plagued country that it once was. The serene atmosphere of the postwar period has opened its doors to the international community. She was brimming with enthusiasm as she said, “Sri Lanka is a whole new experience for me. I just loved the enthusiasm, the passion, the energy and the excitement that surrounds this whole event. The Colombo Fashion Week is a great opportunity for local designers to showcase their work. It is a great opportunity for young designers to showcase potential and talents on international stage.”