British Council in partnership with the Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF) invites young Sri Lankan entrepreneurs between 25 - 35 years of age who currently work in the fashion sector to apply for the fourth consecutive Young Fashion Entrepreneur (YFE) Award.

As part of the British Council's Young Creative Entrepreneur (YCE) Awards programme, YFE aims to develop a powerful professional network between creative entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka and UK. The programme inspires and facilitates the sharing of best practices in building skills, accessing resources, professional development and mentoring.

The YFE Award winner of 2008, Darshi Keerthisena, is the Design Director of Buddhi Batiks. Popularly knows as the 'batik queen' of Sri Lanka, she transformed the ailing batik industry by creating designer-wear batik with a contemporary twist that now struts both local and international catwalks. Darshi shares her views, "As the national winner of the first YFE award in 2008, I gained much recognition and prestige for my brand and for me personally, especially in the eyes of the local apparel manufacturing industry, the fashion industry, and the government. Winning this award has opened many doors for me".

The YFE 2011 winner will be given the unique opportunity to attend a tailor-made study tour to UK, attend fashion and trade events and network with peers and fashion leaders in February 2011.
For further details on YFE 2011, eligibility criteria and application forms, please visit the website: www.britishcouncil.lk/yfe or email lakmaal.rodrigo@britishcouncil.org
The closing date for applications is October 20 2010.