‘Solitude’ on London ramp
View(s):It’s every young designer’s dream! AOD graduate Ishara Jayathilake had the satisfaction of seeing her work up on the catwalk at the recently held London Graduate Fashion Week 2015.
The collection created in collaboration with Brandix and Orient Design was a show-stopper at the 2014 Sri Lanka Design Festival, and went on to be selected for the Graduate Fashion Week in the UK where only the cream of the crop in graduate fashion talent from across the world, are highlighted.
Ishara Jayathilake
A first-class AOD graduate from the award-winning Northumbria University fashion degree, Ishara designs under the name ‘ODD’. Her military-styled collection was, she said, intended to give a new interpretation to the military uniform, combined with civilian clothing.
“I intended to create conceptual, yet wearable fashion using some unique methods of fabrication, challenging the established notions of beauty. My collection ‘Solitude’ takes inspiration from the solitude of soldiers. Details are extracted from World War II military uniforms and textile details to symbolize the conflict of the soldier.”
In 2014, AOD became the first ever Sri Lankan campus entry to the acclaimed Graduate Fashion Week in the UK. Championing this streak into 2015, apparel giants Brandix and Orient Design collaborated with AOD’s budding designer Ishara to create yet another winning collection.
“I’m so proud to represent Sri Lanka and AOD on such a giant platform and am thankful to everyone who supported me,” Ishara said. Pix courtesy Getty Image, June 2015