Apparel Buzz

The much publicised talks to strike a free trade agreement (FTA) between the world's largest clothing and textile exporter, China, and upcoming niche outsourcer Sri Lanka, is sparking intense debate about its potential impact.

• Embassy in the US hosts top  Sri Lankan business leaders visiting the United States
• By any standard in the world Sri Lanka can be proud of its apparel industry: Minister Sarath Amunugama
• Economic partnerships build the strongest pillar of diplomatic relations: Ambassador Wickramasuriya
• Sri Lanka has a great growth potential for the future:  Michael Delaney

Raffles Colombo, recently held "Trash It", an exhibition showcasing garments and accessories constructed from waste materials, created by students from the departments of Fashion & Fashion Marketing where the entire space was transcended in to a work of art filled with creativity. This event was hosted by the academic team and the young talented students of Raffles Colombo with the initiative of Associate Professor Julie Ross (Academic Director).

Brandix has extended its support to the 2013 National Occupational Safety & Health Conference organised by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as part of this year’s National Safety Week programme.

An international clothing and textile conference has heard how the growing retail market in the Asia-Pacific region may enable emerging economies such as Sri Lanka to realise ambitious dreams to become regional production hubs.

The Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF) 2013 conceptualised and founded by Academy Of Design (AOD) staged a successful fashion show titled ‘Sustainable Fashion Runway’ at the Cinnamon Lakeside, Colombo on Friday, 11 October. The runway showcased designs from renowned apparel giants as well as upcoming fashion designers from AOD incorporating the artisans in the handicraft industry empowering their communities whilst reaching new heights in the fashion and apparel industry

Brandix designer Radhika Mendis presented 12 creative ensembles – mirroring the easy elegance of the seascape outside Galle’s Lighthouse hotel – at the HSBC Colombo Fashion Week Resort Wear Show on Sunday, 6 October.

Janie Schaffer traces her journey from Knickerbox to Victoria’s Secret

Whether improved transparency in clothing supply chains will be enough to guarantee a sustainable future for outsourcers in South Asia remains to be seen, but a conference staged in Sri Lanka last week heard plenty of calls for improved openness.

Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association (SLAEA) Chairman Yohan Lawrence said that as an industry, it apparel industry stakeholders should look at markets other than United States and the European Union, without losing the foothold on them.