A new normal environment calls for a new normal experience, Colombo Fashion Week (CFW) curates a first-of-its-kind experiential retail interaction through knowledge in a responsible way. Titled CFW Retail Week, the three-week program is set to take place from 11th September to 4th October 2020 and focuses on weekly themes such as Fashion and Wellness Week, Environment and Conservation Week and Literary Week. This program is based on creative collaborations which brings about interesting retail interactions for guests and patrons; and it will be launched in association with One Galle Face and HSBC Sri Lanka.
The month-long event program is a knowledge and engagement-based experience which includes expert talks on relevant themes and subjects, book readings and workshops, value added retail experiences, movie screenings, junior chef program, art workshop for kids, and special events like wine tasting and F&B demos.
“To us the dynamic inside a contemporary mall environment is interesting and fascinating, we wanted to enhance the dynamics by bringing interesting creative collaborations so that knowledge is stimulated for patrons and adds value beyond just monetary. OGF is an iconic mall in Colombo and we could experiment this new concept because of their openness to collaborate on something new. Knowledge, entertainment and interactions is the basis of this experiential concept. I feel coming from a creative industry like fashion, experiential retail is a logical next step, and we are excited that OGF is partnering with us in this new concept. I am glad that our long-term partner HSBC continues our journey with Retail Week and will be introducing a new product,” said Mr. Ajai Vir Singh, Managing Director of CFW Holdings.
One Galle Face is the venue and partner for this new retail experience. It is Colombo’s first internationally developed and managed mixed-use development project. At 480,000 square feet, the equivalent of eight football pitches, the One Galle Face Mall is the largest international mall in Sri Lanka. The seven-storey mall is home to more than 200 tenants and offer visitors an unparalleled shopping experience catering to their every need from in terms of dining, entertainment, beauty, technology and shopping.
HSBC Premier Cards will be the main currency of CFW Retail Week’s especially curated shopping experience. “HSBC, the title partner of CFW for the 13th year, which is the most sought-after fashion event in Colombo, is delighted to partner with its latest extension – CFW Retail Week. As our Premier customers are internationally minded and live international lives our endeavour is to make our refreshed HSBC Premier proposition truly a family affair and allow them to have an international experience right here in Sri Lanka which ties in well with the 3 weeks of activities planned during CFW Retail Week from 10th September to 4th October. We Invite our Premier customers to participate in the wide array of activities planned by the CFW team and encourage them to make a trip to One Galle Face Mall with their families and experience CFW Retail week which is packed with thought leadership sessions on Fashion, Environment and Literature whilst supporting the local designers who will also be part of the event,” said Tharanga Gunasekera, Head of Marketing and Communications, HSBC Sri Lanka.
CFW Retail Week will craft knowledge and engagement-based retail experiences which incorporate talks and other events categorized into weekly themes. In today’s context, it’s important that all are sensitised towards the importance of our environment, and hence a week-long program has been created to build knowledge and awareness through workshops and talks to engage the audience. It is called Environment and Conservation Week, with key topics open to all, covering the impact of plastic by Dr. Anush Amarasinghe, Managing Director of BPPL Holdings PLC; marine conservation by Dr. Asha De Vos, Founder & Executive Director of Oceanswell; the leopard as an umbrella species for landscape-level conservation in Sri Lanka by Anjali Watson and Dr. Andrew Kittle, Co-Founding Trustees for The Wilderness & Wildlife Conservation Trust (WWCT) in Sri Lanka; and threats faced by sharks and rays in the Indian Ocean by Daniel Fernando, Co-Founder of Blue Resources Trust.
In addition to this engaging retail experience, CFW will launch The Edit, an exclusive store space on Level 2 of the One Galle Face Mall where all participating CFW designers will retail their latest collections which were showcased on the runway in August. The Edit will be a dedicated store space for CFW designers to connect with a wider audience and retail their collections for a limited time at One Galle Face.
Fashion & Wellness Week will include talks on fashion grooming by Fouzul Hameed, a well-known name in menswear fashion solutions; the role of batik in contemporary design by Darshi Keerthisena, Creative Director of Buddhi Batiks; Professional Etiquette by renowned Corporate Trainer Kumar De Silva; and Responsible Fashion & the Journey Towards Circularity by Ajai Vir Singh, Managing Director of Colombo Fashion Week.
A Literary Week has also been curated with exciting book readings by celebrated Sri Lankan authors Ashok Ferrey, Shehan Karunatilaka, and Aartika Aurora Bakshi. Each author will read an excerpt of some of their fan favourite works, while Ashok Ferrey will unveil an excerpt from his upcoming new novel, “An Unmarriageable Man.”
For more information on CFW Retail Week visit the official website www.colombofashionweek.com. Follow Colombo Fashion week on Instagram (@colombofashionweek) and Facebook (@colombofashionweek) for the latest updates, photos, videos and more.
