As a reward for winning Mission Catwalk Season 3, Theodore Elyett copped a one-year retail contract with Lee’s Fifth Avenue to produce exclusive collections with an opportunity for renewal, depending on demand. On Tuesday at the chain’s Tropical Plaza location, we got a preview of the independently-produced local line, labelled Theodore Elyett Basic, which is to be launched on Thursday, September 19 during the Jamaica Observer Takes Style Out. Although he has had two of his winning looks produced by the retailer during his stint on the fashion design reality series, this is first time Elyett will have an entire collection produced on such a scale with a major retail partner and it represents a new step in the designer’s promising career. Elyett remarked, “Every designer wants to get to retail and once you get to retail, you want everything to get off the racks and on to customers, so hopefully at the end of the day sales are what we project them to be and Lee’s comes back and orders another collection.”

This inaugural collection of Theodore Elyett Basics is titled ‘United’ and comprises easy, breezy, fresh pieces that were designed with the everyday woman in mind, and is as affordable as it is stylish. The colour palette sought inspiration from the Bahamanian flag – the archipelago Caribbean nation celebrates 40 years of independence this year — and the first six TSO shoppers to purchase a piece from this collection will receive a complimentary polka-dot or striped scarf. “We are looking forward to being the presenters of Mission Catwalk’s Theodore Elyett’s designs, exclusively for Lee’s Fifth Avenue. The pieces are a delectable collection of bold prints, stripes and polka dots in various colours and styles of dresses, skirts and tops. This line, as a reflection of current trends, shows how different pieces can mix and match, yet fit perfectly together to highlight a unique fashion styling. We can’t wait for the completed line to be shown during Takes Style Out,” stated Kimone Campbell, manager of buying, merchandising and marketing at Lee’s Fifth Avenue.

— Curt Cawley