The weather gods unleashing torrents of rain on a bleak Monday night couldn’t dampen the buzz around the Grand Ballroom of the Galadari Hotel as the graduating class of the University of Moratuwa’s Department of Textile and Clothing Technology gathered for their Graduation Fashion Show. Four years of endless research, sketching, constructing and sleepless nights [...]

The Sunday Times Sri Lanka

Flair and hard work hit the ramp

As the grand finale to their degree, 19 students of Moratuwa University’s Department of Textile and Clothing Technology showcase their creativity at their graduation show at this year’s Graduation Fashion Show
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The weather gods unleashing torrents of rain on a bleak Monday night couldn’t dampen the buzz around the Grand Ballroom of the Galadari Hotel as the graduating class of the University of Moratuwa’s Department of Textile and Clothing Technology gathered for their Graduation Fashion Show.

Wasana Dissanayaka

Four years of endless research, sketching, constructing and sleepless nights behind them, this was the moment they had been waiting for as the chosen 19 presented their six-piece collections on the ramp. Tops and dresses made up entirely of knots, reflecting Sri Lanka’s fishing community, brightly hued ensembles that echoed India’s Kathakali dancers and the use of multi-ethnic prints were just a few of the varied looks that evening.

2015 marks the 14th year of the degree programme which the University of Moratuwa launched with the idea of introducing a fashion degree in Sri Lanka to meet the need for increased value addition to the local apparel industry. The Bachelor of Design in Fashion Design and Product Development was initiated back in 2001 with the support of the London College of Fashion. More than a decade and 300 graduates later, the University of Moratuwa is a proud benefactor of many young designers taking the corporate fields and catwalks by storm.

Coming full circle is Prabod Munasinghe, in his first year as a lecturer at the Department of Textile and Clothing Technology. Watching the graduates pose for pictures at the end of the show opens a floodgate of memories for the teacher who stood in their shoes just two years ago when he was awarded the Outstanding Designer Brand Award upon his graduation. Having been on both sides of the coin, the programme, Prabod says, is ideal: “(They) have the best HR resources and technology,” he explains, the Department of Textile and Clothing Technology being a part of the bigger Faculty of Engineering.

Jayanika Chamani

With an annual intake of only forty, the collections showcased were narrowed down to 19 designers. Each collection was shaped on a concept with vast amounts of research and detailed work, ranging from dresses printed with childish doodles and scribbles to those focussed on complex issues of racism and animal cruelty. The course encouraged its students to take up either fashion or textiles. Attention was meticulously given to the handcrafted and technologically driven material. The final outcome: collections that told stories from the silhouette down to every last stitch.

The designers presenting their graduate collections on the catwalk were: Nilushika Dias, Thilini Thathsarani, Dakshika Abeysekara, Jayanika Chamani, Kalathri Guruge, Kasuni Wanigasuriya, Manoshi Hansapani, Thilini Solangaarachchi, Wasana Dissanayake, Akshila Jayasekara, Dulangika Senevirathne, Sewwandi Kaushalya, Anusha Silva, Krishani Rathnaraja, Niwanka Peiris,Gayathri Muhandiram, Heshani Wijethunge, Niluka Bogahawatte and Savini Herath.
(Pictured on our Magazine cover are designs by Dakshika Abeysekara)

The grand winners
4 Serendib Inspirational Award -
Gayathri Muhandiram
4 Commercially Creative Designer Award – Anusha Silva
4 Menswear Designer Award – Kalathri Guruge
4 Creative Knitwear Designer Award -
Jayanika Chamani
4 Innovative Designer Award – Dulangika Senevirathne
4 Innovative Textile Fabric Designer Award – Dakshika Abeysekara
4 Outstanding Designer Brand Award -
Dakshika Abeysekara

Gayathri Muhandiram

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