Prassanna tops the list
Prassanna Pathmanathan, a talented young designer bagged the Young
Creative Entrepreneur Design and Fashion Award presented by the British
Council in partnership with the Sri Lanka Design Festival.
Prassanna Pathmanathan |
This award, originally titled the Young Fashion Entrepreneur Award
was revamped this year to include both the ‘Design’ and ‘Fashion’
sectors. The award seeks the brightest stars in the world of
international design and fashion while recognising the importance of
entrepreneurs in driving forward the design and fashion industries in
their own countries.
Pathmanathan is a Communication/PR Consultant, corporate trainer, and
lecturer. He started his fashion career as a writer and is now a popular
fashion journalist. He is also a fashion stylist and has worked with
many leading designers, models, and photographers. He is also the
National Director of Sri Lanka for the Mr. Earth worldwide pageant and
was the first Asian to judge this prestigious pageant last year.
As the YCE Award winner for 2012, Prassanna will attend a tailor-made
study tour in the UK, attend fashion and trade events and have the
opportunity to network with peers and fashion leaders in the UK.
When asked about winning the award, Prassanna said, “It feels amazing
to be the first male to win this prestigious award. The networking and
learning from the UK tour will give me a platform to start initiatives
in the fashion sector in Sri Lanka and other countries. Also, my
lifelong dream of starting a fashion portal will be possible by winning
this award. There are many expectations from me from the Sri Lankan
fashion community as the winner of this award, and I am confident that I
will do justice to the title and contribute to the growth of the Sri
Lankan creative economy.”
Applicants for the YCE Award 2012 were drawn from various areas of
the fashion and design field including architecture, graphic design,
fashion design, design and fashion promotion, design and fashion
marketing and communication, and product design.
Out of the many applications received, four candidates were
short-listed based mainly on their written applications and supported by
additional evidence of their entrepreneurial skill and ability.
The short-listed candidates were Charini Suriyage, Gihan Ediriweera,
Amilani Perera, and Prassanna Pathmanathan. The final judging panel for
the YCE Award 2012 comprised of British Council Sri Lanka Country
Director Tony Reilly, British Council Wider South Asia Arts Director
Shreela Ghosh, Geoffrey Bawa Trust and Lunuganga Trust Trustee and MICD
Associates Partner Channa Daswatte and KT Brown Founder Kanchana
Thalpawila. |