Sampath Bank Private Banking Partners with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka to Champion the Next Era of Intelligent Luxury

Sampath Bank Private Banking announces its role as the Official Banking Partner for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka (MBFWSL) 2025, presented by Academy of Design (AOD). The partnership brings together two institutions committed to advancing Sri Lanka’s creative economy, strengthening its global outlook, and elevating the country’s cultural presence through design-led innovation and meaningful luxury experiences. Together, the collaboration reflects a shared belief that creativity and economic leadership must move hand in hand in shaping Sri Lanka’s next chapter of growth.

Over the past two decades, AOD has played a pivotal role in nurturing a new generation of designers, creative entrepreneurs, and fashion innovators prepared to compete on the world stage. This foundation now enters a strategic next chapter, shaping a contemporary South Asian aesthetic that is globally relevant, commercially viable, and rooted in craftsmanship, culture, and identity.

Reflecting on the collaboration, Shyanika Hewage, Head of Private Banking at Sampath Bank, shared, “At Private Banking, our role has always extended beyond financial stewardship; we curate experiences and opportunities that reflect the evolving aspirations of our clientele. The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka is not just an event, it is a movement that celebrates craftsmanship, cultural identity, and the contemporary expression of who we are as a nation and region. Supporting this platform aligns deeply with the values of authenticity and meaningful luxury that our clients embrace, while also investing in the country’s long-term narrative, how it expresses itself, how it innovates, and how it competes on the world stage. Partnering with AOD allows us to be part of shaping that future while offering our clients access to inspired, world-class experiences rooted in culture and creativity.”

This direction mirrors the rising values of luxury and lifestyle globally, where discerning consumers increasingly seek authenticity, sustainability, and meaningful stories of place. MBFWSL continues to lead this conversation, not as a seasonal showcase, but as a long-term movement to define a distinctive South Asian design identity that is recognised and desired around the world.

The partnership between Sampath Bank Private Banking and MBFWSL represents a powerful convergence of financial leadership, cultural stewardship, and design innovation, reaffirming Sri Lanka’s position as a contributor to the global design conversation and as a catalyst for a new era of regionally driven creative excellence.