Caribbean Fashion Plus Week (CFPW) wraps at 6 pm today with Runway Caribbean, a fashion showcase at the ballroom of Cascadia Hotel, St Ann’s in Trinidad.
The show is a culmination of weeks of activities surrounding the plus-sized fashion industry, including model-castings, pop-up photo shoots in San Fernando and Arima, seminars and fashion shows.
The theme of CFPW 2012 is “One size does not fit all.” A press release from CFPW organizers stated, “In the Caribbean fashion industry, when one speaks about the plus-size category one will often get reactions, both positive and negative.”
Janine Charles-Faray, who handled publicity for CFPW, said in an e-mail that the event was being hosted by the former franchise-holders of the Miss Big and Beautiful T&T pageant, Carivog International—the brain child of its CEO and founder, Sheanna Alleyne.
“Trinidad and Tobago is fortunate to be the home of the most active and plus size-dedicated designers in the Caribbean,” the release added. “These designers have committed to pioneering in the niche of plus-size design and have made successful strides in this regard.”
Even better, the release said, some of these designers will be showcasing their work at CFPW 2012. Most designers participating will be debuting collections at the fashion week, giving CFPW an exclusive of what can be considered a new season of designs for Caribbean plus-size shoppers.”
Women’s, men’s and swimsuit designs are expected on the runway. Well-known local designers scheduled to show include Heather Jones, Robert Young, Dexter Jennings, Orson Charter, Eula Reid and Wayne Sankar. Regional designers participating include Sonya Noel of Mariska’s Designs and Andrea Brathwaite of Timeless, both from Guyana.
New designers from Trinidad and Tobago are also expected to show collections, including Ann Marie Alexis, who graduated from the Caribbean Academy of Fashion Design this year, Lesa Gonzales, Chinyere Thomas and others.
