Sri Lanka Design festival 2009 (SLDF) is the first festival of its kind here in Sri Lanka. Conceptualized by the Academy of Design, the festival aims to promote Sri Lanka’s creative industries and showcase its creative talent. Built around three key principles, Design without Limits, Garments without Guilt and Ideas without Boundaries, the festival provides a mélange of aesthetic, ethical and original fashion shows, design exhibitions and workshops. Poised to be the biggest annual celebration of design in Sri Lanka, the event incorporates many design disciplines and activities that offer the viewer a dynamic, different and uniquely Sri Lankan reflection of the emerging talent that reflects Sri Lanka’s diverse influences. Scheduled for 27th November -5th December 2009 it is set to be nine days of inspirational design and fashion, all based on the Sri Lankan industry. Supported by the design international sector, leading businesses and by the government, the festival both a cultural and a commercial event aims to engage Sri Lanka’s creative community with a specifically invited global audience. The festival has as much to offer to trade and commerce as to the casual visitor. Sri Lanka Design Festival 2009, will specifically focus on the fashion manufacturing industry of Sri Lanka which manufacturers for some of the best in the world, highlighting its journey and its transition from a manufacturing industry to a knowledge-based creative industry founded on sounds ethical and sustainable practices. In the context that the world is moving towards ethical fashion, Sri Lanka has a strong positioning. Key opinion leaders, designers and buyers from the international world of fashion have already confirmed their participation. The fashion shows will also showcase a few of the international designers who are preparing collections based on Sri Lankan textiles. While the year 2009 has been specially designated for the promulgation of Fashion Design, Sri Lanka Design Festival would also give prominence to other design sectors such as Crafts, Graphic, Interior and Jewellery Design. These sectors would also be displayed to add depth to what is truly known as Sri Lankan design. The series of events of exhibitions, lectures, seminars, symposiums and workshops have been segmented to serve the local industries to propel their designs and their manufacturing products to the world scene and also to expose themselves to many professionals who would add value to the knowledge base and hopefully will be buyers and ambassadors of these products and provide a gateway to the world.
