Plug pulled on CFW
The Jamaica Observer continues its reflection on the year in entertainment. This daily column looks on the achievers, trendsetters, those who died, and the controversies.
AFTER a 17-year run, organisers of Caribbean Fashionweek (CFW) decided to pull the plug on the week-long designer showcase.
Kingsley Cooper, conceptualiser and chairman of Pulse model agency, said he would replace CFW with a new project, Resort Fashionweek, which would kick-off in June next year.
“The time has come to reset and refresh the way we present our product. We have always seen ourselves as innovators and this is just another step along that trajectory. So, we don’t see it as the end of Caribbean fashionweek, but rather a progression to this new level,” he told the Jamaica Observer.
Cooper said CFW, launched in 2001, was aimed at showcasing the works of regional and local designers. Since its inception, the event has showcased more than 150 designers from countries including United States, the United Kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago, and Haiti.
Trinidadian-born Meiling, Tiger Lilly and Biggie were regularly rostered for the show. At its last staging in June, British-Ghanian rapper FUSE ODG introduced his line NANA (New African Nation).
“The format of the Resort Fashionweek will be very similar to CFW; the major difference is that we will be asking designers to present resort collections. The truth is, this has become very popular internationally and almost every major designer has a resort line. We think it is a perfect match as when you think of the Caribbean, one immediately thinks of the sun, sand, beaches and our resorts and tourism… so a resort collection is a perfect fit. The international media comes to the Caribbean for this… the truth is they never come for the couture,” Cooper added.