Charuka Gunasekara Takes Gold at Graduate Fashion Week London

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 visual language do you carry forward? What happens when you put it into a different silhouette or let it set the direction for a collection? Charuka’s work gave an international audience a chance to see those questions answered through clothes.

The win added another chapter to AOD’s history at Graduate Fashion Week. Amesh Wijesekera won the International Graduate Award in 2016, and Sasandi De Silva took silver in 2024. Ten years after Amesh’s win, Charuka brought a new collection and a different point of view from Sri Lanka to that same international platform.

It was a milestone for Charuka and a proud moment for the AOD community. For young designers watching from Sri Lanka, there was something especially exciting about seeing a craft they recognised become the starting point for a collection that won in London.