By Savithri Rodrigo
Colombo, Sri Lanka (Commonwealth Union)_ In a campaign that began during the throes of COVID-19, the UNFPA and Sri Lankan designer Amilani Perera are using one of Sri Lanka’s most prolific industries – the fashion and apparel industry, in a two pronged effort to end violence against women and girls. The initiative which was launched in 2020 under the banner Fashion for a Cause seeks in the broader context to empower women and girls who are survivors of abuse and shed light on the ubiquitous problem that has become a pervasive scourge around the world.
Perera who was introduced by UNFPA to the Women’s Development Center which operates shelters and safe houses for survivors of violence in Kandy, the hill capital of Sri Lanka, began working with survivors of violence in product development, while also running mentoring programmes to enhance these survivors’ design skills.
In 2020, Perera reached out to the women at the shelter to begin their quest to create awareness, using a colour palette of deep red denoting fear and damage, mint green for healing and pastel pink to white symbolic of empowerment. Working purely via videos and instructions given via WhatsApp as travel was restricted during the time, the girls and women began working on embellishments to adorn the ‘Unbreakable’ collection which was presented at Colombo Fashion Week 2020.
UNFPA then collaborated with CFW for the next year in an effort to augment messages on the issue of gender-based violence, with a special focus on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). UNFPA Country Representative Kunle Adeniyi opined that with art and creatives being powerful communication tools, using fashion to raise awareness on one of the greatest human rights violations will enable the UNFPA to reach different audiences with the message.
Thus emerged Perera’s Collection for CFW 2021 – With Her, on an emotive mood-boosting collection thriving on energy. Black and optic white formed the foundation to the palette with mango sorbet, turquoise tonic and fiery orange adding accents to promote wellness and vitality. “The collection was vibrant, energizing and had that running thread of empowerment which is what I wanted,” states Perera. “The models radiated that energy and vibe which permeated palpably to the audience.”
When the next CFW Collection was unveiled in 2022, it was all about healing. “Heal…It’s never about the clothes they wore! The ripple effect of intangible anxiety and mental illness is created through the tangible act of violence. This is portrayed through the human anatomy, illustrated with hand prints of survivors of violence,” said Perera describing the collection.
Having discovered that some of the women were adept at handloom weaving, she used handloom fabric to complete her collection. Using fabric manipulation techniques including embroidery, sublimation printing and fabric bonding, shades of grey were woven through rays of metallic hues, while the lines of the survivors’ palms held the design together with scatter prints of the shapes of the palms added to the story.
The collections, worked in stages of a survivor’s life are spirited, emotive and are eye-opening. However, the battle is far from over. Fashion for a Cause will continue to be a life-thread to effectively prevent and respond to violence against women for a safer Sri Lanka for all.
