The Sri Lankan Design Festival 2011. Planned in the month of November showed a big  success after being held for three consecutive years. The event initiated by the academy of design was organized in Colombo. The grand event started with participation by the island craft exhibition and was followed by a fashion show held by them.
It was a mix among the traditions and modern culture of srilanka, reflecting the beauty and uniqueness of the country. The fashion show was themed with inspiration from the traditional craft.The desigeners participated were Dharshi Keertisena, Kasuni Ratnasuriya, Terin Gabbalage, Kandygs, Yolanda Aluvihare and Prabath Samarasooriya.
It was not just a fashion show but also had collection including apparels, utensils and interiors made of handloom and batik textiles, beeralu, Lac-work, brass ware, ceramics, Palmyrah, cane, paper, shell and coir created by hundreds of artisans from rural areas of Sri Lanka which were on display and available for purchase at the Pop-up store.
The Founder of the SLDF and Managing Director of the Academy of Design later defines the motif of the festival as not just a fashion event but an opportunity that captures “the essence of the country” and promoting the talent of Sri Lanka on a global front.
As SLDF 2011 was a meeting point for designers, buyers, retailers and industry experts from all over the world. It was a fantastic site for networking for those in the creative fields, or in fashion and apparel businesses. Also created an opportunity to meet others in a similar or related industry and to form and strengthen partnerships that will increase connections between businesses and ultimately, countries themselves.