The sixth floor of AOD became an afterlife for cartoon characters. TOON CARNAGE asked one gloriously ridiculous question. What would your favourite cartoon character look like after a particularly bad ending? The answers came in costume, makeup and masks, with prizes for the scariest looks and the cleverest concepts. Student workshops set the scene, from building props and making masks to transforming the space itself. The fun was in figuring out how far you could push a fami

A discarded beer can has a surprisingly good second act. REWOVEN began with AOD exploring what aluminium could become, first sharing those experiments at Sri Lanka Design Festival. In response to a brief from Lion Nation Foundation, the project grew into a collaboration with Studio Noud Sleumer, local designers, makers and waste collectors. Cans collected from Sri Lanka’s beaches were cleaned, cut and woven by hand into objects such as coasters. The process was designed aroun

For five days in October, Colombo dressed for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka. Presented by AOD and powered by DIMO, the event took over Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams from 7 to 11 October. AOD’s graduating fashion class opened the week with its Next Gen runway, giving audiences a first look at the designers ready to make their mark. For the graduates, opening night was the moment years of hard work finally met an audience. All those studio decisions about fabric, fit a

What does a brand idea look like when you give it to a fashion student? For the AOD × Visa Capsule Collection, second-year fashion students took Visa as their starting point and explored what luxury and possibility could look like in a runway-ready garment. The challenge was turning those abstract ideas into choices you could see from your seat. How should the silhouette read as the model walked? What could the fabric, construction and finish say about the brief? With six stu

Every designer remembers the first time they showed someone an idea they really believed in. Fashion Search gave aspiring young designers a place to do exactly that. Presented by AOD and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka, the 2026 edition took place on 7 October at Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams. Fashion Search brought young creatives into the world of Fashion Week while they were still discovering what kind of designers they wanted to become. At that stage, a sketch, a f

Fashion Week started before noon. On 3 October, AOD teamed up with Lightning by Neesh for Colombo Coffee Rave, a daytime party that kicked off the Next Gen celebrations ahead of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka 2026. The sixth floor at AOD became the dance floor, Café Kai was on coffee duty, and the dress code was simply to wear your coolest fit. That dress code did a lot with very few words. It made getting dressed part of the event and gave everyone room to bring their

At AOD’s Reverse Open Day, the first thing on the agenda was getting to work. On 25 July, students exploring their options after O/Ls and A/Ls tried hands-on workshops across fashion, visual communication, interiors, animation and AI. AOD’s international faculty guided the sessions and shared what it’s like to work in the creative industries, giving students a feel for the decisions designers make every day. Trying several disciplines in one visit made it easier to spot what

Pepsi Street Kala 2.0 brought Sri Lankan art, music and food together at Excel World on 4 July, and AOD joined Pepsi to put emerging local artists in the middle of it all. The exhibition gave artists a shared starting point, Pepsi, and room to take it in their own direction. Seeing the work together was part of the appeal. A brand most people recognise at a glance becomes an interesting creative brief when several artists get to decide which parts of it to play with. Side by

Sri Lankan Dumbara weaving took the runway in London, and AOD graduate Charuka Dilshan Gunasekara took home gold. On 18 June 2026, Charuka won Overall First Place at the Graduate Fashion Week International Showcase. His collection reimagined a Sri Lankan weaving tradition through contemporary fashion, bringing the texture and character of Dumbara to an international graduate runway. Working with a recognisable craft gives a designer a set of decisions to make. How much of its

Studio Decode put the best part of design school up front. On 27 June, AOD welcomed future creatives into a full day of hands-on workshops spanning fashion, visual communication, motion graphics and interiors. With support from Atlas, participants got to experiment in creative labs, try techniques like stop motion and meet people who were just as curious about making things as they were. Stop motion was a great example of how quickly a simple experiment can pull you in. Move

“My education has been instrumental in shaping my drive to make a difference. This is a recognition of the impact we can make together. A heartfelt thank you to AOD and my UK alma maters for their invaluable guidance!” - Poornima Meegammana Poornima Meegammana, an outstandingly talented alumna of AOD, has been honoured with the prestigious Social Action Award at the UK Alumni Awards 2023-24. This recognises her remarkable work as a designer catalysing social change through he

With a legacy of over two decades in creative education, AOD has been a significant influencer in Sri Lanka’s creative and design industry and economy. Its partnership with Northumbria University, Newcastle UK, spanning over 15 years, with more than 2000 graduates throughout has strengthened its position, offering students the opportunity to graduate with a globally recognised UK design degree alongside a unique AOD design education in the fields of Fashion & Textile Design

Sasandi De Silva Follows the Path of Success Paved by AOD, Becoming the Silver Winner of the International Award at Graduate Fashion Week London 2024 Congratulations to Sasandi De Silva for winning the Silver Award at the Graduate Fashion Week International Awards 2024 in London! Sasandi, a sustainable fashion designer, envisions integrating heritage crafts and sustainability, showcasing art through fashion to highlight the work of Sri Lankan artisans. She aims for sustainabi

An Invitation to Explore AOD’s International Design Foundation Plus Programme AOD, along with its award-winning international faculty, is set to host an open event for post O/L students on Sunday, July 21st. This event aims to help students explore creative career paths and understand how to turn these aspirations into reality. The event will give potential students the opportunity to participate in workshops, engage in diverse experiences, and converse with creative experts.

Colombo, the beating heart of Sri Lanka, is more than its skyline or its coastline. It’s a city that exists in layers; in the memories of its people, in the rhythm of its streets, in the art and architecture that mark its growth, and in the countless untold stories that give it life. Yet, for all its richness, Colombo has often lacked a collective narrative that captures its essence. Now, a new design-led initiative seeks to change that. “What’s Your Colombo?”, a two-year cre

Sri Lanka’s leading design campus, AOD, is inviting the country’s most creative young minds to step into the world of design at its Colombo Creative Day – Open House Experience. Taking place on September 20th, from 10 AM to 3 PM at Colombo Innovation Tower, the event is specifically designed for post O/L and post A/L students who are exploring their next step in education and careers. This is your chance to get a first-hand look at the country’s most vibrant creative communit

By Shannon Salgadoe and Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara Raw energy met unstoppable vision as this year's graduates of the Academy of Design (AOD) put their collections on display during Day One of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Sri Lanka (MBFWSL) held at Cinnamon Life on Wednesday. The collections showcased a dynamic spectrum of aesthetics with designs ranging from bold, colourful statements to clean, monochromatic looks, moving through an array of rich and unexpected colour palett

Immersive, hands-on sessions on 9 May 2026 mark the first stop in a curated city series expanding access to creative education across Sri Lanka The Academy of Design (AOD) will host an exclusive Open Day in Kandy on 9 May 2026, marking the first stop in a curated series of cities where the institution will extend access to design education. Taking place from 10.00 AM to 4.00 PM at The Kandy Club, the Open Day is designed as an immersive introduction to AOD’s internationally r

Creativity is often the defining capital behind profitable ventures. This was most recently seen in the wide global recognition of entrepreneur Nawoda Bandara, taking Sri Lankan fashion international, with the support of AOD. Building brands that resonate beyond Sri Lanka is one of the most powerful ways to strengthen the nation’s creative economy, drawing investment, expanding export potential, and elevating the country’s profile with global consumers. Nawoda Bandara, a rema

AOD Design Camp 2025 was a two-day immersive creative experience designed for young aspiring designers aged 13 to 19. Held on the 17th and 18th of April from 10 AM to 4 PM, the camp moved beyond traditional classroom learning, encouraging participants to experiment, make, and explore through hands-on creative practice. Across the two days, participants engaged in a wide range of workshops, including character design, fashion styling, bandana making, screen printing, cardboard