Day 3 of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka 2025, presented by the Academy of Design (AOD) and powered by DIMO, the authorised distributor for Mercedes-Benz in Sri Lanka, at Cinnamon Life, the City of Dreams in Colombo, will present Future Craft, a celebration of craft, sustainability, and community. The focus will be on circularity, responsible production, and elevating craft as a storytelling medium.
Behind the scenes, preparations have begun, with each collection evaluated for how it fits within the theme. Both local and international designers will showcase craft traditions from across South Asia, including India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. Those rooted in sustainability, upcycling, and artisanal techniques - whether handloom, beading, knitting, crochet, or other indigenous methods, are being positioned within the Future Craft segment based on their submissions.
The overarching vision will be to position South Asia on a global stage, highlighting hundreds of indigenous techniques - block printing, embroidery, indigo dyeing, and more - while showcasing how they can be interpreted in contemporary design. The aim will be to present a calm, craft-centred way of living, where each garment reflects ethical workmanship and artisanal value.
Among the designers bringing this vision to life are Charuka Gunasekara and Drishti Modi.
Charuka: Seeds of Hope
Charuka’s upcoming collection, Seeds of Hope, grew from a reflection on childhood and how it is often erased in Sri Lanka. The process began by imagining children before societal constructs - fear, bias, caste, religion, or politics - shape their perception, a state of pure innocence that adults rarely remember. From there, the question arose: why do we expect children to rebuild a world, adults have broken? The discarded doll became the guiding symbol - fragile, innocent, and easily overlooked - and shaped the silhouettes, surfaces, and overall structure of the collection.
The entire collection is built around reconstruction, both emotional and structural. Fragmented surfaces, exposed seams, and patchwork forms mirror the imperfect process of healing, while materials like Dumbara weaving, knitting, and 3D printing anchor memory, softness, and protection. Designs were developed through the eyes of a child, where identity is unbound by gender, class, or politics, allowing the garments to feel fluid, intuitive, and playful.
The mood of the collection is suspended and introspective, soft yet complex. It balances grief with beauty, innocence with history, and encourages the audience to feel protective. Seeds of Hope is Charuka’s way of confronting complicity, honouring scars, and defending the quiet resilience of childhood.
Drishti: Unquiet, Season List 96
Drishti’s upcoming collection, Unquiet, Season List 96, started with looking back at old photographs, family memories, and traditional South Asian silhouettes. The shapes and movement of the garments were influenced by how these designs were originally made to be practical and comfortable, while still feeling elegant. Functionality is a key part of Drishti’s approach, ensuring that each piece works with the wearer’s body and daily activities.
Materials and techniques were central to shaping the collection. Matka silk, chanderi, and other locally sourced fabrics were paired with eco-printing using flower waste, alongside hand embroidery and crochet. The team worked closely with grassroots artisans and women from the informal workforce, making craft and community an important part of the process. Each piece was developed with attention to how it feels, moves, and tells a story through its construction and texture.
For the runway, Drishti wanted the collection to feel approachable and wearable, with subtle nods to nostalgia and tradition. Unquiet is designed to balance contemporary style with practicality, highlighting South Asia’s creativity while supporting the people and techniques behind the work.
Set design will complement the craft narrative, evoking earthy, meadow-like landscapes with natural elements such as rocks and trees. This will create an immersive environment that mirrors the values embedded in the garments - grounded, serene, and respectful of nature.
The combination of meticulous curation, hands-on guidance, and thematic design will make Future Craft not only a showcase of timeless, beautiful garments but also a demonstration of sustainable fashion in practice, leaving a lasting impression for generations to come.
