By Venessa Anthony
The Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF) was launched 10 years ago, by Academy of Design (AOD), in hopes of creating an impact with design. It is a recognised platform to showcase the progress that Sri Lanka has made in terms of fashion and design. The SLDF 2021 will be held virtually from 15-17 January 2021.
A spokesperson from AOD spoke to The Morning Brunch about the theme for this year’s SLDF, stating: “The theme for this year is ‘ImpACT’. Whether it’s fashion, whether it’s craft, whether it’s the forums or conferences, we want to show the impact of all these aspects.” The virtual festival will showcase fashion and design initiatives that motivate the industry to “ACT” now and create a positive impact in a meaningful way.
Furthermore, they said: “We want to showcase the progress that we’ve made throughout the years. Be it entrepreneurs, designers, individuals, we hope to bring together all the action that they’ve done. We want to show their challenges, and how they overcame it, and what they learned from it. There will be a wider variety of events to look forward to this year.”
For the first time ever, the SLDF will be held virtually this year, due to the prevailing situation with the pandemic. They commented on what changes we can expect this year. “AOD’s graduate exhibition, which is annually showcased at SLDF, will post teasers online to build suspense up to the event, which will take place in January. On the day of the actual event, guests will have to register to visit the physical graduate exhibition, which will be held at Colombo Innovation Tower, just like every other year, while the teasers will remain online.”
This year will see a lot of diversity, catered towards a wider audience. Anoma Wijewardene has been selected as the “Artist Spotlight” for this year’s SLDF, and the festival will be showcasing some of her exclusive work. Former Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay, will also come on board to join the festivities. SLDF revealed he will be speaking on sustainable tourism, the impact on the economy, and the harmony between sustainability and economy.
There will be many exciting segments and events planned in the days leading up to the festival, so keep your eyes peeled for these interesting new concepts.