Coolhunting in Jamaica
Caribbean designers set trends at Caribbean Fashion Week

The Caribbean wears Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera and Vera Wang. But it has its own celebrity designers too: think fashion powerhouses like Claudia Pegus, Zadd and Eastman, and Meiling. Where these designers accumulate, trends must follow. That’s just what happened at the highly anticipated 8th installment of Caribbean Fashion Week (dubbed by British Vogue as an important new trend in the fashion world) and the equally delightful inauguration of Trinidad and Tobago Fashion Week (TTFW).

Dress yourself: Dresses are now all the rage in the Caribbean. Designer Camesha Powell (Poshe) showed the return of more ladylike dressing: the shapely silhouette with the fitted bodice and full skirt, though the skirts have been shrunk to give it a more modern touch. Poshe is definitely keeping up with the international scene, as Marc Jacobs has also reintroduced the silhouette into his fall collection at New York Fashion Week.

Lamaica also showed an eye for the revival of ladylike wear with dresses made in cool, comfortable fabrics plus bright hues and patterns from the super short to the ultra long; whilst Gavin Douglas’ silks, buckles and corsets captured the essence of femininity.

Neon colours and eye-popping prints: Deep hues of Caribbean colour translated right onto the clothes at Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW). The design duo Zadd and Eastman synonymous with ready-to-wear, hand-painted ensembles brought Caribbean colour in unique neon stripes. The Caribbean’s icon of fashion herself, Meiling, characterized her designs with light ‘summery’ fabrics of vibrant colours, including rich reds, oranges and regal purples.

Print and pattern were also the order of the day with swirls, flowers, stripes and abstracts on loose fitting garments. Nigeria’s design masters Nkwo and Brooklyn’s Rebel boldly stacked different African prints into tiered tent dresses. The designs certainly retreat from the traditional greys and navys of fall.

Swimwear sexiness: The one-piece suit is back and it isn’t the maillot your grandmother used to wear! Design houses, The Mushroom and Rachel Lym, proved that sexy is going swimming. Think provocative cuts, alluring colours and bold prints. The Mushroom stunned the onlookers with its shiny metallic silver swimsuit and men’s swimwear that is sure to catch more than a few glances on the beach.

- Tricia N. Henry