SIZ takes Nakshi Kantha to the international runway

A Nakshi Kantha piece is never just fabric. It carries memory, patience, domestic craft, and generations of storytelling stitched by hand. This July, that familiar Bangladeshi language found an international stage as SIZ made its runway debut at CCWE Fashion Week & International Summit 2026 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Held at Cinnamon Life, City of Dreams, Colombo, the South Asian platform brought together women entrepreneurs and designers from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives. Organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Women Entrepreneurs, the event highlighted fashion as a space for regional collaboration, women-led entrepreneurship, cultural exchange, and creative visibility.

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For SIZ, founded by Samaha Subah, the showcase marked a major milestone. Representing Bangladesh alongside fellow fashion label Aranya, SIZ presented a fully curated Nakshi Kantha collection that placed one of the country’s most treasured textile traditions before an international audience.

“This showcase was more than our first international runway. It was an opportunity to share Bangladesh’s artistic legacy with the world,” said Subah, Founder and CEO of SIZ. “Every piece reflected the stories, craftsmanship, and cultural identity woven into Nakshi Kantha, proving that heritage can evolve while remaining authentic.”

The collection reimagined Nakshi Kantha through contemporary silhouettes, allowing the craft to move beyond its familiar domestic associations while retaining its emotional and cultural depth. Rather than treating heritage as something fixed in time, SIZ approached it as a living design language that can adapt, travel, and speak to modern women.

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The opening runway presentation on 16 July was held under the theme “Threads of Inclusion: Woven from Every Walk of Life,” celebrating diversity, empowerment, and fashion’s ability to connect people across cultures. The event culminated in a Grand Finale on 18 July, where South Asia’s design voices came together before an international audience.

Leading the Bangladeshi delegation was Naaz Farhana, President of the Dhaka Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry, whose role helped support cross-border collaboration and create new opportunities for Bangladeshi designers.

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The showcase extended beyond the runway. On 19 July, South Asian delegates participated in a trade fair at One Galle Face mall in Colombo, displaying local products from across the region and connecting creative presentation with business exposure.

For Samaha Subah and SIZ, the Colombo showcase signals a wider ambition: to take Bangladeshi craftsmanship to global audiences while creating meaningful opportunities for local artisans. In Sri Lanka, SIZ did not merely present a fashion collection. It carried a stitched piece of Bangladesh onto the international runway, proving that traditions rooted in home can also command the global spotlight.

Photo: Courtesy