SLIIT hosts inaugural VogueFest 2024 celebrating creativity and talent of future stars of the fashion industry

SLIIT Business School successfully hosted its inaugural fashion event, VogueFest 2024, on August 16, 2024, at the SLIIT Auditorium. The groundbreaking event showcased emerging talent in fashion design and modelling providing a valuable platform to nurture individual creativity, business acumen, and future employability in the rapidly evolving fashion industry.

For the initial round, VogueFest 2024 attracted over 100 contestants from diverse backgrounds, across the country. Competitors participated in the Designer category and Male/Female categories. 

The judging panel for the initial round to select the top designers consisted of luminaries from the industry including Ridma Samaranayake, Ruchira Karunarathna and Gayani Batz. Serving on the panel for the preliminary modelling round were, Nilmini Tennakoon, Amila Karunanayake, Meesha Gunawardana and Rozanne Diasz who was also the official choreographer for the entire event.

From these rounds, the judges selected 10 designers, 10 male models, and 10 female models who advanced to the grand finale. The 30 finalists were taken through a series of intensive workshops. The modeling workshops, led by Rozanne Diasz, focused on essential skills such as runway techniques, posing, and overall model etiquette. Meanwhile, the designer workshops, conducted primarily by Ridma Samaranayake, provided participants with key insights on creating a final collection. These sessions covered diverse topics from design concepts to technical execution.

The top 10 designers were tasked with creating three segments: casual wear, office wear, and evening wear, highlighting creativity and versatility in each category. Each designer was assigned a male and female model each, to showcase their collection at the final event.

At the Grand finale, the Guest of Honours were the judging panel which included fashion industry icons such as Michael Wijesuriya, Darshi Keerthisena, Lou Ching Wong, Damith Wijayathunga, and Asanki De Silva, 

Dhanuka Dhananjaya emerged as the top designer, while Anjana Heenatigala and Wismitha Prabath were crowned Best Female and Male Models, respectively.

The event was graced by the presence of SLIIT’s Senior Management Team, including Chancellor Prof. Lakshman Rathnayaka, Vice Chancellor Prof. Lalith Gamage, Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor & Provost Prof. Nimal Rajapakshe, and other faculty members. 

Commenting on the inaugural VogueFest 2024, Prof Suren Peter, Dean, SLIIT Business School, said “this was a remarkable display of creativity, talent, and bold innovation by a set of young creative designers. It was truly inspiring to see them transforming their visions into stunning pieces, combining artistic flair with contemporary fashion trends. Each collection showcased not only the hard work and dedication put in but also their unique perspectives on style and design, which was showcased by a talented set of models”

Importantly, the event served as the ideal platform to showcase SLIIT’s BSc (Hons) Fashion Business and Management. The innovative degree program, delivered exclusively at SLIIT, is developed in collaboration with Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK, renowned for its Manchester Fashion Institute, one of UK’s largest fashion schools. Manchester Fashion Institute has been ranked among the top 50 fashion schools in the world

The degree equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to become future entrepreneurs and visionaries in the fashion industry. The program focuses on nurturing creative thinking, business management, and marketing acumen while exposing students to global trends such as sustainability, digital marketing, supply chain management, data analytics, and innovative entrepreneurship.

To support the nation, meet the demands of the dynamic fashion industry SLIIT is planning to introduce a diploma and higher national diploma in Fashion Designing, which will serve as a direct pathway to the BSc (Hons) Fashion Business and Management program.

VogueFest 2024 was made possible through the support of sponsors including Naturals, Coca-Cola, Dr. Shine, Anchor Hot Chocolate, Harriet, A Wed Designs, Batz Resort Wear, and Leasing.lk. The event was covered by official media partner Pulse, with photography by Ceyluxe.lk.

The success of VogueFest 2024 has set a new benchmark for fashion events in Sri Lanka's educational landscape, demonstrating SLIIT's commitment to nurturing future leaders in the world of fashion.