Colombo Fashion Week’s ‘Living Sculpture’ Brings Art and Couture Together This September
Original image courtesy of Financial Chronicle. Source: Sienna De Silva, Financial Chronicle.
Colombo Fashion Week is preparing to present an ambitious meeting of contemporary art and high fashion when its CFW Couture + Trousseau event takes place from 17 to 19 September 2026, with the artistic theme ‘Living Sculpture’ positioning the runway as an active creative space rather than a conventional platform for displaying clothing.
The upcoming event will be staged at the City of Dreams by Cinnamon Life, where couture collections from designers in China, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are expected to be presented within an environment shaped by sculpture, movement and material transformation. The concept places particular emphasis on the relationship between garments and their surroundings, encouraging audiences to view each collection not merely as a sequence of designs, but as part of a wider visual and spatial composition.
The event was reported by Financial Chronicle in an article written by Sienna De Silva, which described the collaboration between Colombo Fashion Week and acclaimed sculptor Prageeth Manohansa as a distinctive exploration of the relationship between fashion and art.
eLanka featured image , AI generated based on source image.
A runway transformed into a gallery
Under the ‘Living Sculpture’ theme, the catwalk will be treated as a canvas upon which clothing, sculpture, light and movement can interact. Sculptures created by Prageeth Manohansa will complement the fashion collections and form an important part of the visual language of the event, creating what has been described as an immersive gallery experience on the runway.
This approach represents a departure from the traditional use of decorative staging, where set pieces are positioned primarily to frame the garments. Instead, the sculptures are intended to enter into a dialogue with the collections, allowing the materials, silhouettes and movement of the clothing to respond to the solid, expressive forms placed around them.
AI-generated supporting image: sculptural craftsmanship and reclaimed metal.
Manohansa is recognised for transforming scrap metal into dynamic sculptures that convey movement and emotion. Through welding, shaping and assembling discarded industrial materials, the artist gives renewed purpose to objects that might otherwise be overlooked, producing works that appear to shift between mechanical structure and organic form.
That quality makes the artist’s work particularly relevant to a couture setting. Fashion is also shaped through the transformation of materials: fabric is cut, folded, stitched, layered and structured until it becomes a garment with a distinctive identity. In both disciplines, the finished work is dependent upon technical precision, creative intention and a close understanding of balance, proportion and movement.
The result at CFW Couture + Trousseau is expected to be a runway in which the sculptures function not as background decoration, but as active participants in the presentation. As models move around the metal forms, the relationship between the rigid and the fluid, the industrial and the refined, and the discarded and the newly created will provide a visual foundation for the event.
Couture as an expression of craftsmanship
The participation of designers from China, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will introduce a broad regional perspective to the event, while maintaining a central focus on couture, craftsmanship and creative intent.
Couture is distinguished by the level of attention given to construction and finish. Each garment is generally developed through a detailed process involving fabric selection, handwork, fitting, embellishment and structural refinement. In a setting such as ‘Living Sculpture’, those elements are likely to receive increased attention because the surrounding environment has been designed to support, rather than compete with, the garments.
AI-generated supporting image: couture, material and sculptural form in conversation.
The collections will represent different creative approaches from across Asia, with each designer bringing a distinct interpretation of formal dress, ceremonial clothing and contemporary luxury. Sri Lankan participation will place local design within a broader regional conversation, while the presence of designers from China, India and Pakistan will reinforce the event’s international character.
The theme also provides an opportunity for audiences to consider the ideas behind each garment. Colour, texture, construction and silhouette can communicate cultural references, personal identity and artistic purpose, while the sculptural setting can reinforce the emotional and conceptual qualities of the collections.
For a fashion industry that is increasingly connected to visual art, architecture and design, this type of presentation offers a more developed way of communicating creative work. It enables the audience to experience couture as an atmosphere as well as a product, with the runway functioning as a carefully composed environment.
Colombo Fashion Week’s continuing influence
Colombo Fashion Week has played an instrumental role in shaping Sri Lanka’s fashion landscape over its 23-year history. The platform has supported the development of local designers, encouraged professional dialogue and provided a setting in which Sri Lankan fashion can be viewed alongside regional and international work.
Its longevity has also enabled the event to evolve with the industry. Earlier fashion presentations may have focused primarily on seasonal collections and individual designers, whereas contemporary fashion events increasingly incorporate music, architecture, visual art, technology and hospitality to create broader audience experiences.
The ‘Living Sculpture’ concept reflects that development. It places fashion within an expanded cultural framework and demonstrates how a runway event can operate simultaneously as a design showcase, an artistic installation and a platform for creative collaboration.
Such initiatives are important for Sri Lanka because they highlight the country’s capacity to host sophisticated cultural productions while giving local artists and designers opportunities to work across disciplines. The collaboration between Colombo Fashion Week and Prageeth Manohansa, in particular, presents a constructive model in which an established fashion platform can provide visibility for contemporary sculpture and material-based art.
Ajai Vir Singh on the creative vision
Ajai Vir Singh, Founder and Managing Director of Colombo Fashion Week, described the intention behind the collaboration in a supplied statement:
“Couture transcends mere clothing and becomes art. We aimed for the runway to embody this notion, where the sculptures serve not just as decoration, but as an integral part of the dialogue between the garments and the space. We are thrilled to collaborate with Prageeth Manohansa in bringing this vision to fruition.”
The statement captures the central premise of the event: clothing is not being presented in isolation, and sculpture is not being used merely to provide an attractive backdrop. Instead, the two forms are expected to influence how the audience understands the space, the garments and the movement of the presentation.
This approach may also encourage a more considered appreciation of fashion, particularly at a time when the industry is seeking to place greater value on craftsmanship, sustainability and the story behind the finished piece. Manohansa’s use of scrap metal introduces a clear material narrative, while the couture collections will demonstrate how textiles and embellishment can be developed into forms that carry cultural and artistic meaning.
Supported by leading partners
The 2026 CFW Couture + Trousseau event is sponsored by Nations Trust Bank and hosted at the City of Dreams by Cinnamon Life. Support has also been reported from Lanka Walltiles, Vision Care, Hameedia and Ramani Fernando.
The event’s partners include Acorn, Pulse, News First, Ceylon Today, Emerging Media and Hard Talk. Their involvement illustrates the collaborative structure required to deliver a major fashion and arts presentation, bringing together financial services, hospitality, lifestyle, media and creative-sector partners.
With the event scheduled for 17, 18 and 19 September 2026, CFW Couture + Trousseau will offer audiences an opportunity to observe how Sri Lankan fashion is being positioned within a wider regional and artistic context. Through the ‘Living Sculpture’ theme, Colombo Fashion Week is presenting couture as a discipline of construction, performance and visual expression, while giving sculpture a central role in shaping the runway experience.
For Sri Lankan designers and artists, the event represents a valuable platform for collaboration. For audiences in Sri Lanka and around the world, it provides a positive example of the country’s creative industries engaging with contemporary ideas while retaining an appreciation for skilled workmanship and artistic purpose.
eLanka continues to share positive stories about Sri Lankan creativity, culture and achievement with the global Sri Lankan community. Readers can follow further arts, fashion and community updates through the eLanka online community platform.
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