By Suelika N. Creque
Editor-SKNVibes.com
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Riff Raff Designer Rifka Maycock
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – CREATED with the true essence of the Caribbean, Rifka Maycock’s Riff Raff Designs are cool light weight diverse designs that must be had for the summer.
Maycock was born in St. Vincent but has lived in Nevis and Barbados for a number of years.
In April of this year she moved back to Nevis, where she hopes to have her designs showcased in fashion events in the twin-island Federation.
Starting out as a model some 14 years ago with Finesse Model Agency, Maycock fell in love with the world of fashion and knew that she had to always be involved with the art form.
“Even if it meant I was mopping the cat walks,” she said jokingly. “I knew no matter what, I would have to end up working in the fashion world.”
Learning to sew from her mother, her designing officially started about six years ago in Barbados while attending a Fashion Course at the Community College.
“I began just sewing clothes for myself; things I wanted to wear out, and soon a friend recommended that I do it to sell and jokingly said I should call it Riff Raff Designs or something. And I ran with it. Since then I have been using the name and making clothes for both men and women,” she said.
Maycock describes her line as truly Caribbean, with fun bright colours and relaxed, very easy to wear designs that are not “too tailored”.
“Well, Riff Raff Designs are always very comfortable easy to wear clothes, I love working with fabrics that have some stretch to give the wearer a little freedom even in the sexier pieces. 
“I love working with colours and I also try with my designs to give the wearer choices. So I make reversible or multi-functional garments,” she said.
Maycock added that she likes to know that when a person buys her pieces they are confident that they have not only purchased a garment of a high quality but also one they could wear dressed-up or dressed-down for as long as they want.
She said that some of her pieces are like buying two dresses in one…they could be worn on either side.
Riff Raff Designs have been featured on a number of events in the Federation including Culturama, Show Me Your Soul and Nevis Fashion Weekend.
“Having done a show or two recently in Nevis, I feel the people here know about my line already; it’s just a matter of reminding them what can be expected from Riff Raff Designs. I also want to get my line in a local boutique so they are available for sale. In St. Kitts however, people are yet to know of my line. I hope to do shows there and other events to get my name out there,” she said.
Currently, Maycock has her designs featured on online at …, which she says is also great for business and a way of advertising instead of events.
Maycock sees “getting exposure’ as the most important ingredient for Caribbean designers in becoming a mega fashion house in the industry.
“For Caribbean designers to be established regionally and internationally, they need to have a product that is properly produced and of a high quality and standard. Once they have this, they need three more things - exposure, exposure, exposure! It is absolutely vital. Once well enough known and loved, the trick to becoming successful is maintaining the high standards that originally got them noticed and never failing to create new styles as well, as always making available old favourites.”
In her eyes, Caribbean fashion is starting to get the recognition it deserves with the establishment of events such as Caribbean Fashion Week in Jamaica and the Caribbean Fashion Awards in Barbados which showcase Caribbean designs as well as awards to the Caribbean fashionistas respectively.
“I think Caribbean Fashion in recent years is getting the recognition it deserves from the world. Our flair, our culture, our style, our beautiful models and our varied designers are something that cannot be duplicated anywhere else,” she said. “Within the Caribbean, we need to see our fashion in the light Europeans and others see it and appreciate that beauty which is indigenously ours.”
She however opined that in order for the Caribbean to truly become the fashion capital of the world, there are some things that need to be done.
“I think the major problem is our people prefer to wear clothes they see on television and in international magazines,” said Maycock. “A lot of our people don't feel stylish unless they have on a label of some big fashion house. As with every genre of Caribbean art, there is a reluctance to accept and raise up our own.”
Maycock also said that Caribbean people still have a way of taking those international styles and making them distinctly their own.
“We take European fashions and remix them for our climate. We can take less expensive pieces and make them look Caribbean Couture,” she said.
About the fashion and modelling sector in St. Kitts and Nevis, she said that the Federation is finally seeing fashion as a major event.
“It is no longer just some entertainment to act as a side show to a calypso show or other event. Model agencies here are finally seeing there is work for their models regionally and, perhaps, even internationally, and that they should be paid properly for it. It is high time models in the Federation earn what they deserve for the use of their talent and image,” she said.
