ABOUT US
College of Fashion and Design (CFD) is a joint venture between fashion industry leader CFW and SLIITINTERNATIONAL, the education expert; to offer the most relevant design courses that equip the next generation of empowered design entrepreneurs, creative leaders and chief executives. The unique programs offered at CFD are built on the platforms of Sustainability, Circularity and Responsible Design; lead with the belief that ‘design is a solution to an existing problem’.
A not-for-profit Commonwealth-organization occupying a unique space for inclusive global fashion development, linking the 56 fashion industries of the Commonwealth. Based in London, its vision is to empower through design – Planet, People, Hope; within which education is a very important focus; with various educational symposiums hosted in London.
A premium, boutique architectural firm founded in 1999 by internationally renowned Sri Lankan Architects Murad Ismail and Channa Daswatte, stemming from the practice of Geoffrey Bawa Associates have created a modern Sri Lankan identity. They also manage the Geoffery Bawa Trust. Here in partnership with CFD, MICD is a patron and mentor for the Interior Design & Architecture department of CFD.
Colombo Fashion Week (CFW) one of the most important fashion week events in South Asia, with the participation of celebrity designers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, along with Europe and Australia, was founded as a developmental organization in 2003, in the middle of the civil war, to revive the fashion and design industry. CFW is now the backbone of the fashion design industry and the most covered Sri Lankan event after Cricket.
Courses
The courses made available to you at CFD are an expertly curated selection of the most vital epicentres in the creative and design world; tailor-made to create an empowered generation of professionals that contribute positively to the society and economy; built on the platforms of Sustainability, Circularity and Responsible Design.
Fashion
Design
A 3- year course that aims to educate you on how to both create and operate a fashion line by means of a comprehensive study plan curated to train highly qualified professionals with creative and technical skills, styling and pattern making, photoshoots, launching & managing a business, understanding the fashion market, managing fashion events and how to handle clients.
INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE
DESIGN
A 3-year course that aims to build your ability to understand your client’s needs and behaviours, and how to blend them with social and ergonomic factors in order to design spaces that can be effectively lived in and used. You will also learn how to detect and improve the relationship between interior design and the nature of the services supplied in specific spaces.
GRAPHIC DESIGN & VISUAL COMMUNICATION
A 3-year course that aims to train creative designers with the necessary theoretical and practical background knowledge to design visual communication projects in the fields of multimedia, interactive communication and hypermedia; with a sound command of leading tools and methods of application benchmarked against top tier industry professionals across the world.
SHORT
COURSES
Tailor-made professional short courses stemming from new found technologies to innovative design practices, set to enhance and accentuate key areas of interest and basic industry requirements of the design spectrum in today’s world.
An expert-curated program, tailored to fast-track the path for high-school graduates (post-O/Ls) to commence their higher educational journey towards a design-led degree; meeting all university criteria and academic requirements.
Fundamentals of Fashion Design
A program created to initiate the processes of creativity on a level that is relatable to creative design enthusiasts who have a passion for fashion. From the basics of drawing through to collection development, pattern-making and garment creation, this program sets the tone for a future in this exciting and evolving design arena.
Fundamentals of Interior Design
A program that enables aspiring interior designers to begin the creative journey into this multi-faceted industry that enables designers to visualize, create and deliver on targeted projects within their individual areas of interest.
This 3-month short course is an introduction to the fundamentals of Filmmaking and aims to instill the skills necessary to create a piece of media/film/content from conceptualization to final product.
Fundamentals of Visual Communication & Graphic Design
A program that hones the creative skills of aspiring designers, guiding them to understand and realize their creative potential. While creating industry-standard visual designs from sketching to digital graphics creation, and revamping a brand identity, students also absorb the scope of this creative discipline.
ACADEMIC
TEAM
CFD has engaged individuals who are high achievers within their individualized spheres, which also includes high calibre growth. They participate in scheduled lectures and knowledge sharing of their experiences, enhancing the transfer of ideas to students at CFD.
Ms. Dinesh Chandrasena
Ms. Manisha Gunawardane
Ms. Nichola Pakianathan
Ms. Udeni Weerawardena
Mr. Akash Sunethkumara
Academic Director, Fashion Design: Program Lead
Ms. Dinesh Chandrasena
Bringing 25+ years industry experience in the US, EU and Sri Lanka, combined with over 15 years of educational expertise, Dinesh leads the academic programs with the processes of academic and creative development from a global perspective. Being a part of the everchanging multi-inclusive creative plains and the varied cross fertilization of thought brings to the students the knowledge empowerment required for creating industry leaders.
Business Studies and Professional Practices
Ms. Manisha Gunawardane
Providing academic leadership, management and assessment within the business of design; Manisha has been in academia for the past 10 years while heading numerous local and international projects. She ensures relevance with current market trends and expectations of the industries. Encapsulating the academic and real-world approach, and also encouraging experimentation to guide exploration; the goal is to constantly renew the length and depth of knowledge.
Interior Design Lecturer
Ms. Nichola Pakianathan
With a unique combination of creativity and industry-driven problem-solving mechanisms, teaching experience and targeted brand development; the experience shared through the programs by Nichola highlights the next generation of forward-thinking interior designers.
Graphic Design, Multimedia Design Lecturer
Mr. Akash Sunethkumara
An international award-winning filmmaker with 7 IMDb-listed independent short films; and an experienced visual creator in numerous practices along with lecturing. With industry-led project collaborations locally and in the US, Akash is dedicated to knowledge-sharing with future creative professionals.
Design
Board
CFD is supported by the Design Board, comprising of International and Sri Lankan professional leaders of relevant design industries. They provide mentorship, guidance and progressively evolve the overall vision of CFD, to make it competitive and provide cutting-edge thought processes for students to succeed locally and internationally.
Jatin Kampani
Rizwan Beyg
David Abraham
Murad Ismail
Jatin Kampani
Jatin Kampani is a foremost proponent and an multi award-winning powerhouse when it comes to photography in South Asia. His works spans out over 26 years; in the scope of Beauty, Fashion, Lifestyle, Portrait & Celebrity; he has worked with some of the best in the fashion and advertising industry, creating outstanding campaigns for clients like De Beers, World Gold Council, Marriott Incorporated, ITC, L’Oreal, Motorola, Bacardi, Seagram’s India, ESPN, Pepsi, Canon and Sony. Fashion has been his middle name for sometime now, having crafted some feted wonders for publications like Elle, Marie Claire, L’Officiel, GQ, Grazia, Hello, OK, People and Verve. Kampani’s body of work also includes portraits of a number of distinguished individuals. Her Highness late Rajmata Gayatri Devi, Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, KV Kamat, Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Hritik Roshan, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma are a few of those whose finer details Kampani has captured through his lens.
Rizwan Beyg
Rizwan Beyg’s influence in fashion is undoubtedly beyond Pakistan and the Middle East. While being the most esteemed designer in Pakistan, he has done tremendous work in reviving and using local crafts and weaves; the freedom to dabble with technique, color, fabric, and silhouette; to create high-fashion collections which are sought after across the globe. He has always eschewed the shackles of commercial fashion, opting instead to pay homage to his love for indigenous craftsmanship and the creative freedom to wield it in his own unique way. Instead, commercial fashion has followed him, drawn by the elegance and finesse that is his hallmark. The Late Princess Diana and the Queen of Jordon- HM Rania Al-Abdullah, were and are among his high profile clients.
David Abraham
David Abraham of Abraham & Thakore is one of India’s most successful high profile, respected and intelligent designers. A&T is also known to be one of the most ‘international standard’ Indian labels in the industry; retailing across high-end stores in New York, Paris, London and Singapore. They also have a permanent display exhibit at the V&A museum in London. A&T cleverly use Indian crafts in their contemporary designs, thus creating a modern identity using local techniques; justifying their place as one of the most influential voices in the world of fashion in South Asia.
Murad Ismail
Murad Ismail is one of Sri Lanka’s most celebrated, award-winning architects, having worked at the practice of Geoffrey Bawa for nearly a decade. He is the only Sri Lankan architect to have designed two ‘Four Seasons’ properties, with a multitude of industry-leading clients that followed suit; such as Mövenpick, Jetwing, Avani, Shangri-La and more. Murad, together with his colleague Channa Daswatte, now runs MICD Associates a foremost architectural practice in the region. He takes a scientific approach to his craft, and is involved in many architectural projects in Sri Lanka and the region.
SUSTAINABLE FABRIC
INNOVATION BOARD
CFD has a professionally driven board that specializes in leading fabric innovation with knowledge and industry expertise. Sustainable fabrics are a global need and this board aligns students to this thought process while encouraging individually motivated innovation, led by regional & global fabric experts.
Latest
News
EU–Sri Lanka Creative Sri Lanka Match‑Making Programme
Lankan and European designers showcased how strategic collaboration and shared expertise can spark new pathways in textile art and sustainable...
The ‘REVIVE & THRIVE’ sustainable design project
Creative practitioner extraordinare Mr. Prasad Bidapa initiated the ‘REVIVE & THRIVE’ sustainable design project for our students across all our...
CFD Fashion Design Students shine at IMAX
Keeping with on of our most fundamental requisite for creating an environment where design entrepreneurs have a foundation in...
Director of the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), visits CFD, Colombo
Dr. Colin Holden, Director University for the Creative Arts (UCA) School of Architecture and Design, was at CFD Colombo campus to...
Sinhala & Tamil New Year Celebration at CFD
We at CFD celebrated the Sinhala & Tamil New Year, with festivities on campus, including traditional treats along with games...
A day of Italian Creativity & Design excellence
His Excellency Ambassador Francovigh, the Italian Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, together with esteemed creative industry professional Professor...
IUAD Members visit to CFD
The Academic Director of IUAD Giuseppina Auricchio along with IUAD External and International Relations Manager Massimo Cipolloni visited the...
Creative Design Capsule – Interior Architecture Design
"How would you become a successful designer by remaining happy?" An intricate segment covered during the Creative Design capsule...