South Asia’s premier fashion platform, Colombo Fashion Week (CFW), celebrated its 23rd year with a spectacular showcase at Cinnamon Life, bringing together innovation, creativity, and cross-cultural collaboration.
This year’s edition continued to push creative boundaries, highlighting the evolving synergy between fashion, art, and spatial design through its renewed collaboration with LANKATILES.
Building on the success of last year’s groundbreaking tiled runway—introduced during Couture + Trousseau: The Luxury Edit—LANKATILES returned for CFW Summer ’26 with a striking mosaic wall installation. The display celebrated craftsmanship, design innovation, and artistic expression, further redefining how materials can intersect with fashion.
As Sri Lanka’s only mosaics manufacturer, LANKATILES showcased its expertise through a concept centred on contrast and harmony. Crafted using black and white tiles from its Square Mosaic Series, the installation explored the visual power of opposites coming together in balance.
Mosaics, known for their versatility, are widely used to create decorative patterns and textured surfaces across interiors—from kitchens and bathrooms to backsplashes and swimming pools. Through this collaboration, they were reimagined as a bold artistic medium within a fashion-forward environment.
Commenting on the partnership, Ajai Vir Singh, Founder of Colombo Fashion Week, noted that LANKATILES continues to demonstrate a highly creative approach. He highlighted last year’s tiled runway as a breakthrough moment and emphasised how tiles are now being explored as a canvas for artistic expression, transforming everyday spaces into design statements.
Adding to this, Fazeena Rajabdeen, CEO of CFW Holdings, said collaborations with brands like LANKATILES are vital due to their shared design sensibilities. She described the tiled ramp introduced last season as a bold and unique concept that opened new avenues for creative exploration.
Union Assurance Partners with Ministry of Health for Autism Awareness Day
Union Assurance joined hands with the Ministry of Health Sri Lanka, in collaboration with NAMASTE Sri Lanka (Neurodevelopment and Autism in South Asia: Treatment and Evidence), to host Autism Awareness Day 2026 at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute in Colombo. The event marked a significant national dialogue on inclusion, neurodiversity, and societal understanding.
Held in line with World Autism Awareness Day and aligned with the United Nations theme “Autism and Humanity: Every Life Has Value,” the programme brought together government officials, healthcare professionals, educators, mental health practitioners, and community advocates for a structured, solution-focused discussion.
Union Assurance’s participation reflects the broader understanding that meaningful long-term protection extends beyond financial planning, encompassing efforts that strengthen both social and healthcare ecosystems.
The event opened with a welcome address by Chandana Gajanayake, Regional Director of Health Services, Colombo, whose leadership played a key role in bringing the initiative to fruition.
Expert perspectives were then shared by Samanmali P. Sumanasena, Professor in Paediatric Disabilities at the University of Kelaniya and Consultant Paediatrician at North Colombo Teaching Hospital and the Ayati National Centre for Children with Disabilities, who discussed autism from a clinical and developmental standpoint.
Further insights were provided by Athula Sumathipala, Director of the Institute for Research and Development, who highlighted mental health considerations and evidence-based approaches to neurodiversity.
The programme also featured keynote addresses by Lakmal Darmarathne, Social and Political Content Creator and Film Director, who emphasised the importance of recognising neurodiverse talent in the corporate sector, and Peter D’Almeida, CEO of N’able, who shared a personal account of navigating professional life on the autism spectrum.
LANKATILES and Colombo Fashion Week Redefine the Fusion of Space and Fashion
