Source : Daily Mirror

The 2010 Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF), organised by the Academy of Design and sponsored by MAS Holdings with the support of the Sri Lankan government, was officially launched on Thursday at the Royal Society in London.

The SLDF will be held from November 11-17 in Sri Lanka, and promises to offer sourcing opportunities for fashion manufacturing as well as showcasing other areas of Sri Lankan design such as crafts and jewellery.

A key focus of the Sri Lankan garment industry is its approach to ethical fashion, with the country billed by industry body Sri Lanka Apparel as the world's first ethical apparel sourcing destination, and SLDF has initiated a new award for ethical fashion design which will be presented at the event.

The London launch event was hosted by the British Council, which works in partnership with SLDF, and featured presentations on the Sri Lankan garment industry from a number of speakers including British Council Sri Lanka director Gill Westaway, Chair of Marketing Initiatives Sri Lanka Apparel Kumar Mirchandani, MAS Holdings Chairman Deshamanya Mahesh Amalean, Claire Hamer - Sustainable Fashion Specialist and SLDF founder Linda Speldewinde whilst the session was chaired by Colin McDowell, one of the world's leading fashion commentators and brand ambassador for Sri Lanka Design Festival 2010.

'I am very pleased to see the Sri Lankan initiative's ethical approaches to where and how we source fashion for the future. No 'bargain' price can be justified by exploitation at any level, in any corner of the globe. It is as simple as that. This is the challenge that must be addressed,' said Colin McDowell.

'Sri Lanka is the global leader in ethical manufacturing and as brands and retailers navigate increasingly complex supply chains they should look to Sri Lanka for innovative sourcing opportunities,' added Claire Hamer, Buyer and Sourcing consultant.

Deshamanya Mahesh Amalean, Chairman, MAS Holdings observed "Sri Lanka has an abundance of creative talent, which has also been the hallmark of the accession of companies like MAS. We are proud to be a sponsor of SLDF, which will showcase the creative capabilities of Sri Lanka as well as the sustaining sourcing opportunities that Sri Lanka offers." 

Linda Speldewinde, Managing Director- Academy of Design and Founder, Sri Lanka Design Festival opined "With an island blessed with natural beauty, a recorded history of 2500 years, a breadth of arts and crafts that is incomparable for its size, a word renowned fashion manufacturing industry coupled with investments it's made developing its design capabilities, Sri Lanka is ready to make its unique contribution to the world of fashion and design"