The 14th staging of Pulse’s Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW) was held June 11 – 16 with the main shows proceeding on the Saturday and Sunday of that week. The bar had been set high for designers showcasing at CFW over the years and although this year’s show was smaller it maintained the standard. The launch of Shop Caribbean Fashion (SCF), an e-commerce website committed to the promotion and sales of the region’s designers was an important feature. Pieces from Joris Hendrik of Belize, Alicia Mullings, Mutamba and Denyque who debuted her Wet Swim line on Saturday among others, had selected a few pieces for patrons to view or purchase in an elegantly organized shopping lounge. Essentially the production would not have been complete without the emphasis on live banking provided at the sponsor booths.
Hope Wade, Barry Moncrieffe and Julan well-represented the radiating power and poised nature of Jamaican designers through their collections. Everblazing’s Mima Pesic of Italy came strong with timely yet trendy sportswear inspired by the exciting FIFA World Cup games. While the likes of Claudia Pegus, Nigel Eastman and Heather Jones, a few of the powerful and resilient designers from Trinidad and Tobago, listed to showcase, were missing on the runway, the collections presented by other natives of the twin islands did not fail to live up to their standards. To name a few collections, Robert Young (The Cloth), “Save the Buccoo Reef” by Delia Alleyne, “La Diablesse or the Devil Woman” by Diamond Linton (Tobago Gyal) and of course the classy “Then and Now” collection by the undisputed fashion legend, Meiling, brought vivacity to the runway.
As per usual, the support offered to emerging designers was strong, both evident in the number of new collections presented and by the promotional order of the events. The whole set up of the show itself was incredibly well managed and contributed to creating a truly remarkable event. It was more than a parading of clothes; it was a
showcase of talent, ingenuity and passion. Thirteen designers were selected as candidates for the CFW 2014 Emerging Designer award but only one could walk away with the prize. 21-year old Yvonne Jewnell hailing from Harlem, New York slowly rose from the runway seating to meet seasoned male designer, Gavin Douglas, of the United Kingdom to collect the award. The bold, hand-painted, ethnic-prints of her “Out of Africa” collection that utilized non-traditional fabrics did not go unnoticed. All collections were well-received as each had something unique to offer; all showcasing pieces that you could easily take home and wear with pride. Though the crowd was smaller than most years, patrons wholly enjoyed the programme. The performances by female artistes, Denyque and Ishawna on Saturday, Maxi Priest who closed Sunday night’s show as well as the supporting band had patrons dancing in the Party Bar and surrounding booths. We look forward to the 15th staging – which we expect will be bigger and better.