Over the last decade as Asia emerged the leading outsourcing destination for the global fashion industry, Sri Lanka stood alone as the only country that embraced ‘Ethical Business and Manufacturing Practices’ as a way of life. And with the aid of the Government of Sri Lanka through the Ministries of Finance, Industrial Development and Export Development and International Trade that has always been proactively supporting the cause,

One of Sri Lanka Apparel’s biggest supporters in their efforts to take ‘Garments Without Guilt’ to the world, has been the Export Development Board.

Anil Koswatta (chairman) and his team at the EDB have been invaluable in ensuring the stability for the industry, and have also helped with image building, marketing and improving productivity through both financial means and proper policy direction," said A Sukumaran, chairman of Sri Lanka Apparel.

Hosted by Women’s Wear Daily, long touted as the last word in everything fashion, the topics at the summit ranged from the urgent need to change the fashion system and building a hot brand to the outlook for holiday sales and the evolving US trade policy.

In attendance were more than 200 CEOs and presidents from such leading companies as Aeropostale, Bloomingdales, Chanel, Christian Dior, Lululemon Athletica, Giorgio Armani, Jones Apparel Group, Macy’s, Marc Jacobs, Phillips-Van Heusen, Saks, Under Armour, and VF Corporation to name just a few. While the speakers included Stella McCartney, Kevin Plank and Ronald Frasch of Saks, Emmanuel Chirico of Phillips-Van Heusen, Donna Karan, Martha Stewart, Marc Jacobs, Sir Martin Sorrell and many others.

The summit brought together the leading minds of the fashion world and encouraged discussions and debates on the current economic situations and its impact on retail, brand building strategy and also the need for ethical practices in apparel manufacturing.

This was of course the ideal forum to present ‘Garments Without Guilt’ and the EDB was quick to see the merit in having Sri Lanka Apparel make their presence felt there.

"We are grateful to the Export Development Board for pro-actively sponsoring our participation at this forum opening a new vista of promotion by creating national identity in place of individual companies resulting in benefit to the entire industry," said JAAF secretary-general Rohan Masakorale.

While Sri Lanka Apparel’s participation in what Kumar Mirchandani, who champions the marketing initiatives at JAAF, calls "the most important gathering that the industry has ever participated in", is a landmark achievement in itself, the growing global concern and need for ethical manufacturing that was evident, made it even more fortuitous. As consumers turn conscientious the world over, brands can no longer ignore key details of their manufacturing process.

Against this backdrop, Sri Lanka Apparel was recognized as leaders in ethical manufacturing and offered a warm welcome into the forum. As brands are forced to take a more responsible stand, the opportunities it opens for Sri Lanka Apparel are endless. With the global fashion industry awakening to ethical practices, all eyes are now on the island nation that heralded the change.