The ninth renewal of Caribbean Fashionweek, will be held June 10-15 in Kingston, Jamaica. The largest, most far reaching and strategically important fashion event in the region, Caribbean Fashionweek will be presented at the National Indoor Sports Centre at Independence Park, at the National Stadium complex. Since 2001, Pulse has developed an event that is not only of high international standard, but one that has become a catalyst for fashion industry development in the Caribbean region. Each year it showcases the best of the Caribbean’s designers, as well as other world regarded stylists from various parts of the globe. Approximately 50 designers from 20 countries participate each year.
The region’s original Fashionweek, CFW can be proud of it’s influence, the ultimate proof of which is the large number of Fashion Weeks, Style Weeks and Fashion “Weekends” that it has spawned. From the Bahamas to Guyana, St Kitts to Barbados and Jamaica to Trinidad, these events abound and combined, have helped to provide designers with a fertile training ground, as well as a platform for marketing and sales. Now we are beginning to see Caribbean designers emerge more and more as real industry players, at regional and international levels, event if only on a relatively modest scale at this time. Clearly growth is certain, given the currently exciting and dynamic nature of regional fashion.
Interestingly, despite the challenges of the global recession, this year’s event is poised to be the biggest and best yet. A renewed focus on business, has been key to CFW’s success in 2008 and this will be enhanced even further in 2009. With the formation of the region’s fashion industry association, CAFIF (Caribean Fashion Industry Forum), at last year’s CFW, the industry has begun to face its challenges together. Planning is now being done and solutions implemented in a cohesive manner, with information shared throughout the industry.
Despite the continued focus on business, CFW is also committed to maintaining the high entertainment experience that it has become. The After Parties, Opening and Closing night extravaganzas will continue. This year’s patrons will also enjoy performances from international superstar Kelly Rowland and several others, including such Jamaican stars as Etana and Tami Chynn. Last year Eve, Nia Long, Vanessa Williams, Mashonda, the legendary Lee Scratch Perry and a host of Jamaican stars were special guests at the event. A large segment of a USA Network TV programme featured Jamaica’s first lady Lorna Golding was shot at CFW.
A pilot project that brings some of the region’s master designers’ collections together with West Indian Sea Island Cotton (WISIC) at CFW, will be one of the highlights of the event this year. The Declaration of Kingston which was the basis of CAFIF’s formation last year, identifies this partnership as a means of making a difference in the high end niche. WISIC is the most valuable and valued cotton in the world, with a lustre and texture akin to high grade silk. Sandra Kennedy’s 100% WISIC collection will be shown at CFW. Looks from the collection earned her raves at the showing of the Jamaican Fashion Collections in Brussels this April and facilitated Kennedy’s breakthrough into the Japanese and European markets.
The newly established CAFIF has been registered and Directors appointed from across the Caribbean. The Steering Group, appointed at last year’s CFW, have facilitated a number of key initiatives for fashion in the Caribbean. Recently, CAFIF and Caribbean Export joined forces for a meeting in the Dominican Republic where industry representatives established priority acivities for the short, medium and long term. Participants toured factories in Santiago as they looked at production and fabric options which could help solve this particular challenge that designers face regionally.
Pulse continues its sponsorship of young designers and this year will sponsor 8 such designers mainly from Jamaica, but also from the UK, in an effort to bring the best new talent to the fore.
Most of the region’s most respected designers including Meiling, Sandra Kennedy, Cedella Marley’s Catch a Fire, Moncrieffe, Claudia Pegus, Pauline Bellamy, Biggy, Simon Peter, Bill Edwards, The Cloth and Heather Jones are among the 150 plus designers who have participated in CFW in the past few years. Special guest designers have included the London-based and internationally regarded Jamaican, Jessica Ogden, British young designer of the year Kelly Jade Nichols and the internationally acclaimed Gavin Douglas.
CFW 2008 saw a cadre of the world’s top international designers presenting collections. They are scheduled to return to CFW this year. Among them are Deola Sagoe (Nigeria), Catalin Botezatu (Romania), and Gavin Douglas, all of whom have shown at the major collections of New York, London, Paris or Milan.
The leading fashion media houses of the world have carried rave notices of CFW and as is customary, key media houses are expected to be in attendance this year. Reviews have been published and shows and information disseminated in over 300 million people in more than 150 countries by several media houses including such industry leaders as Vogue, Fashion TV Paris, i-D, The New York Times, Time Magazine, The BBC, The Independent and The New York Daily News.
Caribbean Fashionweek is produced by Pulse, a 30 year old fashion and entertainment company that pioneered the development of the fashion and modelling industries in the Caribbean. In addition to CFW, the company produces several TV shows, including Caribbean Fashion Weekly and discovered, developed and represents such supermodels as 11 time American Vogue model Jaunel McKenzie, one of the most successful models in the world and certainly the number one black model for most of the past 5 years (Models.com); many-time Vogue and Gucci campaign star, Nadine Willis; Esquire cover and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, Carla Campbell; ARENA covergirl Nell Robinson and Cosmopolitan covergirl Sunna Gottshalk, Italian Vogue models Oraine Barrett and Gaye Mc Donald.
So far, CFW 2009 sponsors include Nestle Breakfast Cereal, Viva Sparkling water, Air Jamaica, Fashion TV Paris, The Jamaica Tourist Board, Haagen Daz, Invest Barbados and Virgin Atlantic. Strawberry Hill, the Courtleigh, Spanish Court, the Knutsford Court and the Hilton hotels are major partners. Media sponsors include the Jamaica Observer, CVM TV, Hype TV, SHE Caribbean, Jamrock magazine and Ocean Style, with radio partners being Zip FM and Kool FM. Other sponsors will be announced.
