The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Sri Lanka presented several fashion design graduates who showed off their creativity and eye-catching collections. Among the talented group was Leshani Peiris in collaboration with Dynawash Ltd. & Carlo Boy, who drew inspiration from tailoring techniques and pattern mixing of the late 1940s to 1950s menswear and structural aspects of medieval suits of armour. Sripratha Iyer followed suit, as she brought the 1940’s tailoring and 1980’s outerwear, fusing two or more different garments into one with couture techniques.
On the sportier side, Punna Withanaarachichi brought out the luxury athleisure of the 80s and silhouettes of the 50s for the hunting jackets, while the print inspiration comes from the paintings of Kenneth Norland, alongside the graffiti art from the Berlin Wall.
In addition to the fold, under the category of Pret-a-Couture, Pramodi Wickramarachchi constructed her collection from iconic silhouettes of vintage Cristobal Balenciaga in the true spirit of punk. Her collection was caught between refinement and rebellion. On the other hand, creativity knew no bounds in the hands of Deanne Edirisuriya in collaboration with Anim8, as the collection was influenced by ancient samurai costumes and robotic exoskeletons.
The flare of the dramatics continued in the hands of Ruvishka Peiris, as her concept “Exurbia” expressed brutalist architecture. She was inspired by two architects Zaha Hadid and Oscar Neimeyer, which contributed to the highlighted prints through marbles. Another team-up on display was Senalli Ranatunga in collaboration with MAS Linea Aqua, making way for swimwear cover-ups taken from British, Japanese and Russian ancient fishermen and sea life.
Another clash of cultures came from Maneesha Fernando, in collaboration Coats Thread, using the fruit kades of Sri Lanka. Traditional craft was updated for modern context, while the fruity collection was inspired by Dolce and Gabanna and Italian eccentricity.