CFW Celebrates 22 years of Showcasing Sri Lankan and South Asian Fashion

Colombo Fashion Week (CFW), has provided South Asia its first platform that has consistently shown designers from Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, since 2003. This platform has not only led the Fashion Ecosystem in Sri Lanka but created a South Asian story of cultural exchange, knowledge sharing and market opportunities for designers from South Asian countries. CFW, has over the years emerged as an important platform for South Asian making Colombo a hub due to its geopolitical location. Emerging as one of the subcontinent's most enduring design platforms, it is one of four fashion weeks in Asia which are over 20 years old.

Beyond the runway presentations, CFW has established a substantive track record with at least 80% of featured designers having emerged from its ecosystem, with particular emphasis on nurturing Sri Lankan talent. Designers who have developed their craft through CFW have subsequently achieved international recognition, demonstrating that sustained commitment and strategic focus deliver results in an industry often characterized by transient trends.

At 22 years old, CFW stands as one of only four fashion weeks in Asia to surpass the two-decade mark, a feat that underscores both its resilience and its relevance. Unlike many regional events that have come and gone, CFW has evolved into a diplomatic force, fostering reciprocal partnerships with fashion weeks across the BRICS nations, the Commonwealth, and South Asia.

This extends beyond runway presentations. CFW generates measurable economic impact through tourism, hospitality infrastructure development, and the creation of business opportunities that benefit host cities and their broader communities. The platform's model demonstrates how strategic cultural investment can drive commercial growth across multiple sectors simultaneously.

Since 2003, CFW has systematically expanded its scope, inviting designers from neighbouring nations to share the platform with Sri Lankan counterparts. The result is a distinctive space where regional diversity is celebrated rather than marginalized and where collaboration supersedes competition. In a geopolitical climate frequently defined by division, CFW presents an alternative narrative: fashion as shared language, commerce as common ground.

In November 2025, CFW will introduce a new season titled 'Couture and Trousseau,' strategically focusing on a segment of fashion that presents significant growth opportunities for Sri Lankan designers: bridal and destination weddings. This expansion reflects South Asia's burgeoning bridal market and positions Sri Lankan designers to capture a larger share of this lucrative sector. By identifying and activating relevant commercial opportunities prior to each season, CFW continues to demonstrate that regional collaboration and sustained investment in creative talent can reshape not only an industry, but the economic landscape of an entire region.

The Couture + Trousseau season of CFW is proudly presented in partnership with Nations Trust Bank American Express, Cinnamon Grand, Lanka Tiles, IDL, Vision Care, Hameedia, ITC, Beauty by Rosh, Ramani Fernando Salons, , Emerging Media, Hardtalk and Acorn whose continued collaboration strengthens CFW’s commitment to celebrating innovation, creativity, and craftsmanship within Sri Lanka’s fashion industry.