I came across a blog today called ‘Plaids and Stripes’ by Bianca of “Peace-is of Bianca” and the first line of her blog description really caught my attention
“Fashion in Jamaica and the region exist, much to my annoyance, almost outside of an international aesthetic.”
Her descriptor put words to what I have been feeling about the Jamaican fashion scene for a while. Yet, I have seen the work of some of our local make-up artists, stylists, like Dexter3DPottinger jewelry designers like Bianca, photographers like Marvin Bartley (you will go crazy when you see his work) clothing designers Drenna Luna, and we have produced models who have done great
Bianca Dexter 3D Pottinger
work for famous international designers and graced the covers of major magazines like Vogue as well as coveted Victoria Secret campaigns (can someone say SAINT). Why then isn’t the math adding up? The way I see it, great clothes, great make-upartists and stylists and great bodies to hang the clothes on ever greater faces to be made up should equal a fashion mecca for the Caribbean, and by Fashion I mean creative expression and sheer “fabulosity”. Allowing your mood and your likes to direct your fashion choices and not one of the Girls from “ The City” or one of the Atlanta Housewives… Mix those fabrics, mix those colours and pattern take a risk.
Marvin Bartley
The only conclusion left for me to draw is that the general Jamaican population is creatively constipated (this might also explain the quality of our adverts but that’s another story). If this was not the case, walking in New Kingston and Half Way Tree should be equivalent to walking through the streets of London or New York where creativity reigns free in the form of dress on the everyday man woman and child and in some cases even dogs. (By dogs I do mean the actual animal J )
Here’s to all our local creative designers who take it one outfit at a time, one face at a time, one picture at a time, to release our people from their creative constipation
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