Celebrate Colombo by So Sri Lanka to Showcase Destination through Creative Industries

CFW Swim Week Colombo brings together four creative industries namely Art, Fashion, Food and Music to host a week-long creative festival titled “ Celebrate Colombo” presented by So Sri Lanka,  Sri Lanka Tourism and Promotion Bureau (SLTPB). Celebrate Colombo is a week of creativity anchored on the Swim and Resort season now in its 5th year.

Celebrate Colombo is a destination promotion tourism-based event product that positively tunes the perception of the international media and travellers, showcasing Colombo as a vibrant and creative city, and this event product also enhances the experience of the travellers, having them enjoy Colombo more than they would have done before. The collaboration with the creative industries of Art, Food and Music makes the city more attractive to the modern traveller. The very creation of this festival will be the first on-ground demonstration that there is peace and a return to normalcy after the Easter Sunday attacks. In this regard, this festival will play a strategic role for Sri Lanka.

The strong aspect of fashion is anchored through another popular event brand called Swim Week Colombo, presented by OLU Tropical Water. It is Asia’s first fashion week dedicated to swimwear and resort wear, which in itself highlights the destination of Colombo. This platform will showcase the latest collections from nine dynamic Sri Lankan designers along with seven Emerging Designers, and five international designers.

Swim Week Colombo was established in 2015 with the vision of creating a global platform for swimwear and positioning Sri Lanka as the swimwear capital of the world. Sri Lanka is renowned globally for its world-class swimwear manufacturing capabilities, having engineered and produced swimwear for some of the world’s finest swimwear brands. This existing knowledge and expertise, along with Sri Lanka’s strategic position as an island with world-famous beaches and holiday attractions, lends the country the potential to become a global swimwear hub.

“After the attacks I wanted to give a fitting reply to disruptive forces through creativity. My team and I started working on showcasing Colombo / Sri Lanka in a different light and Celebrate Colombo was born in its current form. Celebrate Colombo is a progressive platform to showcase the creative industries of Sri Lanka from a tourism perspective and positioning the city of Colombo as a vibrant and creative city. CFW Swim Week leads this creative celebration. Swim Week Colombo is in itself a platform that not only focuses on strategic fashion development of the Swimwear and Luxury Resort Wear category, but it complements and showcases Sri Lanka.” said Ajai Vir Singh, Founder and Managing Director of CFW.

Celebrate Colombo is a collaborative effort supported by Sri Lanka Tourism to showcase Colombo as a vibrant city with an active creative community. A creative festival functions as a tourism product which influences and attracts international travellers to immerse themselves in a creative experience. Celebrate Colombo will take place from the 3rd to the 10th of August with Swim Week Colombo runway shows taking place from the 8th to the 10th of August.

“As Sri Lanka Tourism embarks on an optimistic journey not just to recover from the setback but to exponentially grow the industry, Celebrate Colombo I have no doubt will help us regain the confidence of global travellers in a compelling way” commented Kishu Gomes, Chairman of Sri Lank Tourism and Promotion Bureau.

This year Olu Tropical Water adds a little sparkle to its title partnership with Swim Week Colombo by unveiling Sri Lanka's first brand of sparkling water - Olu Tropical Sparkling.

"Swim week Colombo has established itself as a key event in the Asian fashion calendar and this year's festivities coupled with the Celebrate Colombo creative festival showcases Sri Lanka as a fashion and tourist hub." stated Shalindra Fernando, Chief Executive Officer of Liquid Island (Pvt) Ltd, which owns and operates OLU Tropical Water.

This year, Swim Week Colombo’s runway shows will be hosted by three hotel partners, namely Shangri-La Hotel Colombo, Hilton Colombo and Galle Face Hotel.

“Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo is pleased to be a partner of Celebrate Colombo, and event that draws on the city’s thriving creative community and global talent to spread the message of solidarity through diverse crafts and activities,” said Timothy Wright, Vice President & General Manager of Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo. “The week-long event will bring together an unprecedented mix of fashion, art, food and music activations that will showcase the best this vibrant city has to offer for Colombo residents and tourists alike.”

More than 20 designers, both local and international are set to showcase over a period of four days. Some of the international designers include Wendell Rodricks, Studio Verandah, Aqua Blu, and Rena Singh. The Sri Lankan designers list will feature Darshi Keerthisena, Meraki, Sonali Dharmawardena, Pigeon Island, and Maus, among others.

“We are happy to have a great partnership with Swim Week Colombo which has placed Sri Lanka on the world map as being a tourist and fashion hub. Hilton Colombo is fully committed to the ‘Celebrate Colombo’ initiative to communicate to the world that Sri Lanka has returned to normalcy and we are celebrating this city and this country,” said, Christopher Zappia, Cluster Commercial Director of Hilton Colombo.

Speaking on the subject, Mubarak Gaffoor, Resident Manager of Galle Face Hotel said, “We are delighted to partner with Swim Week Colombo on this occasion. As Lonely Planet’s Number One destination to visit in 2019, we welcome everybody to immerse in a festival of creativity like no other.”

Celebrate Colombo 2019 will feature an Art Exhibit, which will bring together an unprecedented 45 established and emerging Sri Lankan artists to collaborate on a never-before-seen project which embodies the spirit of  Sri Lanka. A Food Festival will take place with partner restaurants and hotels packing a flavourful variety of events throughout the week. There will also be a Music Extravaganza which will add to the celebration and pockets of live music events will dot the city during the week’s festivities. CFW Fashion Films will be back once again to showcase the power of creativity when two visual streams such as fashion and film come together. CFW Fashion Films has established itself as a platform to merge the creative talents of both designers and young film directors to communicate their outstanding vision and creative depth. To round up the week with a finale to these events, Celebrate Colombo will conclude with a spectacular themed after party at Café Français.

Nations Trust Bank American Express returns once more as the Official Fashion Card of Swim Week Colombo. Swim Week is proud to associate with a card that offers incredible experiences and opportunities not only in Sri Lanka but around the world.

Swim Week Colombo has formed relevant and strategic partnerships with Sri Lanka’s leading brands and they all play an important role in pushing the annual event to the international level. Olu Tropical Water as Title Partner; Nations Trust Bank American Express as the Official Fashion Card; Shangri-La Colombo, Hilton Colombo and Galle Face Hotel as the Official Hospitality Partners; Jaguar Land Rover Sri Lanka as the Official Automobile Partner; Vaseline as the Official Skin Care partner; MAS Linea Aqua as the Official Manufacturing Partner; Wine World as the Official Lifestyle Beverage Partner; Ramani Fernando as the Official Hair and Make-Up Partner; Vision Care as the Official Fashion Eyewear Partner; Coca Cola Sri Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, Taj Samudra Colombo, Park Street Mews and Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct as Official Food Festival Partners; The Faculty of Art at the University of Colombo as the Official Art Exhibit Partner; Wijeya Newspapers as the Official Print Media Partner; MullenLowe Sri Lanka as the Official PR Partner; and Emerging Media as the Official Outdoor Digital Media Partner. All of these entities share and extend their support towards the vision and aspirations of Swim Week Colombo.

For more information on Celebrate Colombo and Swim Week Colombo’s Swim and Luxury Resort Wear 2020 edition, please visit www.colombofashionweek.com.