FASHION HAS NO FRONTIERS!

Ruwini Jayawardana

Fashion designing has become the 'in thing' today. Gone are the days when a designer used to just sketch the silhouette and do some detailing to finish his or her portfolio. One has to be really creative about showcasing one's skills, in these days of cut-throat competition, failing which there is every danger of losing out in the race.

The Graduation Fashion Show presented by the Department of Textiles and Clothing Technology of the University of Moratuwa gives this much needed boost to its students. Each year the show unfurls a lot of creativity and talent at the event which showcases the work of their students to the world.

This year's event, the Graduation Fashion Show 2013 , will be held for the seventh year on February 28 at Colombo Hilton at 7 pm. Known as the catwalk presentation of the final year undergraduates of the four-year Fashion Design and Product Development Degree Course conducted by the university department, the event launches new designs in various categories, developped from concept to final product by the students themselves. Around 20 of these collections, the best among the students' presentations, comprising 120 outfits will be displayed at Graduation Fashion Show 2013. These captivating designs will be adorned by professional models on the ramp. Lou Ching Wong will choreograph the event.

Cabinet ministers including the Ministers of Higher Education, Industry and Commerce will grace the occasion. Secretaries of Ministries, Ambassadors and High Commissioners of Foreign Missions will also make their presence at this glamorous event. Other invitees include heads of the university system, vice chancellors of universities and well known manufacturers, exporters and buyers.

Speaking about the event Moratuwa University Textile and Clothing Technology Department Course Director Dr Nirmalee de Silva said that the course is launched to support the design aspect the garment export industry.

She noted that the designers are trained from the first year to engage in research about the upcoming trends and needs in the market.

"Later they conceptualize an idea and produce a collection using their skills and creativity. Aspects like evolving trends, the season and needs of customers are taken into consideration while designing the collections," she explained.

The Innovative Designer award, the Serendib Inspirational Designer award, Commercially Creative Designer award and the Outstanding Brand Award will be handed over that night. Three new awards: the Menswear Designer award, creative Knitwear award and Innovative Textile Fabric award have been added to the list this year. She said that the students are given the freedom to select their categories. Each student is allowed to showcase six outfits.

"We have a large range of mens garments this year. Our fashion shows are poles apart from those held during the previous years. Most of the students aim at the international market through the event. These fashion shows inspire our students to aim high and become leading entrepreneurs in the field," Dr de Silva said. Well known fashion gurus have made their presence at the event during the past years. Famed hat designer Stephan Jones, Whistles CEO Jane Shepherdson, David Abraham of Indian fashion brand Abraham and Thakore and Indian fashion designer Manish Arora who was appointed the creative director of the womenswear collection of the French fashion house Paco Rabanne in 2011 have been past invitees to the event. The team has invited former captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team Kumar Sangakkara to Graduation Fashion Show 2013 to add a new dimension about nurturing youth talent.

The panel of judges comprises some of the top names in the fashion arena. They include Otara Gunawardena of ODEL, Dominic Sansoni of Barefoot, Peter Katz and Rebbecca Ward. The Bachelor of Design Degree in Fashion Design and Product Development was incited with consultancy provided by the London College of Fashion of the University of the Arts, London.

The course is fully established today and has become one of the prominent degree courses in the university educational system in Sri Lanka. Funded by the government via the Industrial Development and Commerce Ministry the course fills a much needed void in the local fashion designing sector. It is a collective effort of the Sri Lankan educational sector represented by the university, the state sector and the industry. The Joint Apparel associations Forum (JAAF), the umbrella organisation of the apparel exporters, has worked with the university from the initial stages of the project.

Tickets for the Graduation Fashion Show 2013 priced Rs 400 will be available for sale. For further details contact Jayamali on 011 2640480/ 077 3828220 or Achini on 071 4445802.

The principal sponsors of the event are MAS Holdings and Textured Jersey. Daily News is the print media sponsor of Graduation Fashion Show 2013 .