BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LOCAL models and designers of St. Kitts and Nevis will be a part of this year’s Virgin Islands Fashion Week, which is being held from Oct. 4-9.
The event is being organized by Kittitian Henry Marsham of World Wide Event Management, who said that Judith Rawlins of Brown Sugar, I-Rep SKN, Ngozi Nicholls and Marsha Brown of S Model Management and the reigning National Carnival Queen Iantavian Queeley will also be a part of the prestigious event at the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef Resort in St. Thomas.
The week is being described “Two big shows, one great week” as the fashion events will take place on Oct. 8 and 9.
This is the third VI Fashion Week being held but organizing fashion events is nothing new to Marsham as he has organized several including ‘A Walk Down the Aisle’ one of the largest bridal expos in the US Virgin Islands.
He was also recently a part of Queen’s Fashion Week and is a consultant for Trinidad Plus Size Fashion Event.
“The whole island is ready and geared up for VI fashion week as fashion, style and glamour returns to the island,” he said.
He also said that the main purpose of the event is to introduce fashion tourism to the Virgin Islands and visitors are able to come to the islands for more than just sun, sea and sand.
He said that several international media will also be on the island covering the event and that the US Virgin Islands’ Department of Tourism is the gold sponsor of the event.
Marsham has even been recognized in New York for the work he has been doing.
“This year in July at the New York launch of Virgin Islands Fashion Week, I was presented with a Proclamation from the City of New York for the work and mission of what I have been doing for the Virgin Islands in the area promoting Fashion Tourism by Assemblyman Nelson Castro.”
He said that on Oct. 4 at the CEO’s Welcome Reception which is being held under the theme ‘Caribbean Carnival’, the Government of the Virgin Islands and Governor John P. Dejongh will present him with a Proclamation, officially declaring Virgin Islands Fashion Week, The Offical Fashion Event in the US Virgin Islands.
Marsham, who lived in the United States Virgin Islands for several years but recently moved to the US, is said to have exceptional talents with a thirst for success as well as showcase his beloved native St. Kitts and Nevis.
He has always had a keen interest in featuring the talents of the Federation and has done so in the past with having Sugar Klothing by Sugar Bowl and former Miss Silver Jubilee and Miss World St. Kitts-Nevis, Venetta Zakers a part of the event.
This time around, the Kittitians and Nevisians being featured are vast in various modeling skills while some have made an impact with the clothing line.
I-Rep SKN is a clothing company owned by Jay and Marva Weeks which was first started out as a shirt line bearing the colourful iRepSKN logo but has now evolved to feature swimsuits, outfits, dresses and other merchandise while Brown Sugar is the brainchild of Judith Rawlins who have been designing outfits mostly using linen since 1994.
Rawlins has been featured in numerous fashion events including the prestigious Caribbean Fashion Week.
Reigning National Carnival Queen Iantavian Queeley has had experience in the fashion industry, and has made major headlines during her reign when she captured two regional crowns, with an unprecedented clean sweep at the Miss Caribbean Jaycees Pageant in Antigua in July.
Ngozi Nicholls is a 5’9” beauty, who is a former Rotaract Princess and is presently the reigning Miss Back to Roots Queen. She has also been featured in numerous local fashion events and has been modeling with S Model Management since its inception in 2009.
Marsha Brown another SMM model is Nevis-based and made airwaves when she was featured in the Nevis Pages Calendar in 2009.
Since then she has been named the agency’s “Best New Face” and has done numerous work including a Breast Cancer Awareness ad, J’Ouvert Beach Chill promotion, Itsy Bitsy Wear Swimsuit promotion and recently won the Beehive Model Competition.
