Timeless Glamour on the CFW Catwalk as CJS celebrates Ninety Five
Commits further to saving elephants in the wild with PachyDRONE project
The eternal beauty of dazzling diamonds, ethereal emeralds, resplendent rubies and sparkling sapphires set against the aquiline silhouettes of contemporary leather, spotlighted the magnificent legacy of Colombo Jewellery Stores as it showcased an impressive collection denoting Ninety Five Years of Timeless Glamour at CFW 2017. As the svelte models walked the runway at Sri Lanka’s biggest fashion festival, the nuances of a sophisticated design legacy that began in 1922 in the historic port city of Galle and traversed the globe, intertwined vignettes of the avant garde, ceaselessly transcending nearly a century of craftsmanship, curated design and unparalleled quality. The artistry and creativity that remains the quintessence of the heart and soul of CJS was brought to life with each pair of earrings, bracelet, ring, cuff and necklace, each making a bold statement about the empowered modern woman.
The fascinating discovery within some of the 95 designs in the Timeless Glamour Collection walking the ramp at CFW also highlighted the CJS commitment to saving the elephant in the wild and mitigating the human-elephant conflict highly prevalent in villagers spanning the elephant corridors. CJS unveiled the new pilot PachyDRONE project in partnership with the Sri Lanka Wildlife Society to monitor, manage and save the majestic pachyderm using drone technology. This non-threatening device which closely resembles the noise of humming bees, induces elephants to flee from areas where they could pose a serious threat to people, crops and property and is the ideal tool in not only alleviating the extinction of this majestic being but also in mitigating human-elephant conflict. In this social responsibility initiative, CJS declared that a percentage of the sales of the Timeless Glamour Collection will contribute towards the funding of PachyDRONE.
As Chairman of Akram Cassim mentioned in a post-show interview, “Over 95 years, CJS has transformed the concept of design and creativity into a hallmark of individual style and elegance, all the while affirming our founding core values of uncompromising quality, unparalleled craftsmanship and unmatched customer service. This collection epitomizes the legacy that my grandfather Thaha Cassim envisioned 95 years ago in its journey of timeless beauty, grace and style.”
Adding that the axiom of ‘Diamonds are forever’ inspired the concept of infinitude in this collection, Akram says, “Just as CJS has stood the test of time, our responsibility is to ensure that people understand that elephants in the wild play a fundamental role in the ecological balance.” Since 2014, CJS has become an interactive collaborator in a pilot project to save elephants in the wild in Wasgamuwa. Last year, CJS was instrumental in giving the villagers the ‘Elebus’ for safe transportation through elephant corridors in the village and also initiated a trilingual mobile awareness exhibition that travelled around Sri Lanka.
