London Fashion Week spring/summer is my favourite season! It’s a chance for me to shed the protective layers that safeguard my thin skin and joyfully embrace the sheer fabrics that complement my small frame. So it seemed fitting to start my fashionable week last night at the private fashion Showcase of three iconic designers from the blissful climate of the Caribbean. Held at the Mayfair Hotel’s Amarillo Suite, Project Runway Season nine winner, Anya Ayoung-Chee and clothing designers Meiling and jewelry designer Rachel Ross gave an intimate crowd a preview of their spring/summer 2013 collections.
During this season I fret at the lack of diversity in the on-schedule catwalk shows and non-existent presence of Caribbean designers, but this is slowly changing with organisations like The Trinidad & Tobago Coalition of Services, Louise Laurent PR and Fashion Consultant David Jones, who all pulled together to introduce these strong Caribbean brands to a UK market.
The show started when large doors opened to reveal a regal boudoir draped with three models in sensual silk pieces from the ‘Carnival of Colours’ collection by Anya. This was closely followed by the simple modern cuts of Meiling adorned with Rachel Ross jewelry.
The vibrancy of Caribbean fashion is not everyone’s cup of tea, but the wardrobes of well-travelled cosmopolitan women would reveal that we mix and match trends inspired by cultures around the world more than ever. I asked a varied range of women at the showcase what they thought about the collections and I spoke to each designer to find out how they feel their designs can fit into a European market.
Jo Cheng – Artist – China (Wearing – Zara, Topshop and Urban Outfitters)
‘Anya’s collection is amazing and she is a lovely person. Her designs are very elegant and I think they will work really well in Europe possibly in China’
Merci – Designer – Uganda (wearing – all own designs Merci Me)
‘I appreciate Meiling’s collection; I love the fact that it’s effortless, classy and stylish all at the same time. Anya’s collection is beautiful too, there is definitely room for her designs in the European market and in the African market as-well, a lot of the textures and prints she uses can translate to African culture’
Alicja Sobczak – Jewelry Designer – Poland (wearing – Zara skirt – H&M top – My own necklace)
‘I could see Anya’s designs selling well in big cities like Kraków or Warsaw in Poland, which are big International markets with a diverse range of people who appreciate good fashion’
Cola Bling – DJ/Music TV Presenter – British Jamaican (wearing – Dress by Nairobi Children)
‘Meiling’s collection is forward thinking but also very classic. The detail and the embroidery adds to the femininity of each piece and I love her use of bright white’
Charlotte Webb/ Jessica Archman – London ( Charlotte wearing – blue Topshop top and trousers, collar from COS/ Jessica wearing Primark top – river island trousers – red or dead boots)
Charlotte – ‘I loved Anya’s collection; it’s something I would wear on a night out. It’s sexy but sophisticated as-well and I definitely think it has potential in London’
Jessica – ‘I can see myself in Anya’s designs in the summer in London it’s beautiful’
Anya Ayoung Chee –The first Caribbean designer to win Project Runway Season 9 and winner of Fan Favorite HP/Intel and L’Oreal prize after showing her Spring/Summer 2012 Collection at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York.
Editor: How has your designs evolved since your Project Runway victory on season 9?
Anya: My spring/summer 2013 collection ‘Carnival of Colours’ is an exploration of the aesthetic of the Caribbean combined with living in New York and Harlem. In this collection I am staying true to myself, but adding elements of my city lifestyle. Before I went on Project Runway, I had no formal training so I was designing not constructing garments. When I started to build up my sewing skills on the show I played it safe with floaty unstructured pieces. The irony of that is, that’s what people love and want! And, I love nothing more than creating easy, flowing sexy pieces that you can throw on with a pair of flats and with the right accessories still look glamorous.
Editor: A lot of women here tonight have expressed interest in your pieces, are there any plans to cater to women living in colder climates?
Anya: I definitely think my designs can adapt with the use of more toned down colours like blue and mulberry. The silhouettes would remain the same making it more suitable for evening-wear, but I’m still fresh on the scene so I’m taking my time before I start entering into autumn/winter collections. I’m so committed to making this brand what it is and it’s all about island style for now. I would love to see people wearing my pieces all year long, but as a young start up brand I am mindful of what that requires financially. Take for example Diane Von Furstenberg, she didn’t make a fall collection for 15 years and no one expected anything else. My designs are suited to warmer climates, which has opened my eyes to emerging markets that PILAR fits very well in like South Africa, Brazil and Dubai. I am showing my collection for the first time at Johannesburg Fashion Week in October and I am extremely excited about the prospects.
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Where can we buy your pieces?
The first stop is my website where pieces have been available, but not as frequently as I would like. Over the next few months I will be making pieces readily available in boutique quantities and limited edition lines, as the production is manageable for me right now. My long-term goals are with major online retailers like ASOS, but I’m taking it one step at a time. The ‘Carnival of Colours’ collection is a higher price point, but on my website you will be able to purchase similar pieces at a more affordable price. My dream is to have people wear my clothes not just look at them. Regardless of Project Runway, as an entrepreneurial designer, this is an ongoing process of making my pieces frequently and financially accessible in boutiques across the Caribbean, US and Europe.
What makes you Complexd?
I am Complexd because I am true to me. In my world that means being true to my aesthetic and taking risk. Project Runway has definitely shown me the benefits of taking risk and learning lessons. During the process of learning it creates all these layers of personal stories and journey’s which when accumulated make you the person you are.
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Meiling Esau – As the Caribbean’s premier fashion designer, Meiling was recently honoured with the Women of Influence Award from the most influential networking woman’s group in the Caribbean, The Association of Female Executives of Trinidad & Tobago.
Editor: Tell me about the history of your brand Meiling and how it’s evolved over the years?
Meiling: The brand has been entrenched in Caribbean fashion for over 30 years. It all started in the sixties when I returned home after studying fashion in London and couldn’t find anything to wear. Like everything else in fashion, the timing was right and I launched my label. The name became known because I was the first of many young designers on the scene and TV personalities started to wear my clothing.
Since then it has always been my aim to push myself so that Meiling Inc. remains relevant, new and fresh in the industry. I always try new things and when I started to dress celebrities and entertainers in the Caribbean region, it opened the market and allowed me to launch trendier diffusions lines for a younger audience like Z-Meiling. Over the last few years I have been designing another label called MSquared – a line based on the H&M model with a distributor in Trinidad with seven shops. Last year I ventured into sleepwear and home wear, which gives my clientele even more options under the Meiling brand. I recently co-found 6 Carlos magazine – a content heavy art, culture and fashion magazine that is relevant to anyone who is interested in world topics, but also wants to learn a bit more about the Caribbean and artist from the Caribbean.
Editor: What does your brand mean to Trinidadian women and how can it fit into the European market?
Meiling: I am now dressing four generations of Trinidadian women. I designed Anya’s mother’s wedding dress and I will be designing hers. When the name became established, Trinidadian women wanted to own and wear a piece of my clothing. The brand is very special to Trinidadian women, but I have also established the name outside Trinidad. In 2008 I was given the ‘Grand Master of Fashion Design Award’ at Caribbean Fashion Week in Jamaica. Anyone in Europe can take a piece from my resort line and adapt it to suit their city wardrobe. It’s just about how you team it together, which is why I refer to myself as a designer who happens to be living in the Caribbean.
Image by Gary Jordan
Editor: What legacy do you hope Meiling Inc. will leave in the Fashion Industry?
Meiling: People will always say she was an amazing designer, but I want to be remembered as someone who has mentored and encouraged emerging talent. I teach a nine-week BA course at the Fashion Academy in Trinidad and I prepare students producing their final collections. I am always willing to help, give advice and share my expertise. I always tell my students, you’re only as good as your last collection and you cannot rest on your laurels. You have to constantly push yourselves. I have worked very hard and because I have a shop, I have to produce two retail collections every year. I’ve been doing that for the last 30 years and these collections are not just to look at, they do sell. I didn’t get where I am today by not working. One of my biggest aims is to be working at 90 years of age and still be relevant.
Editor: What makes you Complexd?
Meiling: I’m a Complexd woman because I have no patience for sloth. I am extremely punctual and fastidious about my whole lifestyle and my mind works all the time. I’m a workaholic, my work is my passion and it comes first.
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Rachel Ross – Talented Trinidadian Jewelry designer Ross aims to facilitate the introduction of the Same Sky initiative in Trinidadian market – A company whose aim is to empower women by giving them the tools to become entrepreneurs and lead self-sustaining lives.
Image by Tony da Silva
Editor: What has been the feedback from your debut showcase in London tonight?
Rachel: The feedback has been fantastic and I am pleased to say it’s been really encouraging. It’s a finicky world, you never know who is going to like what and how people are going to respond, but everyone seems excited.
Editor: What inspired this jewelry collection?
Rachel: The selection of jewelry on display show a range of what I do as apposed to being a collection. Most of my designs are hand-made, we do a little bit of casting, but I don’t mass-produce so most of my pieces are one-offs. I’m inspired by materials sourced in everyday life, which I love turning into gems. For example, I made a brass cuff with an oyster shell on it, the oyster shell has become my gem and within it I have set cubic zirconia in silver. That combination is what I think is unique about Rachel Ross jewelry. Not many people will use that combination, but I love the raw element and mix of textures, which gives life to the pieces.
Editor: What would be your advice to aspiring Jewelry Designers?
Rachel: I became a Jewelry Designer by accident. I studied Geology and never finished my degree so I went back to Trinidad. I got into jewelry making after observing the work of a friend’s brother, who was also a jeweler. I was always very artistic and jewelry making just felt right and I’ve been doing it for 25 years. There are two key ingredients for being successful in the jewelry business, one is certainly hard work and the second is having something that sets you apart from everybody else.
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Top to bottom – Buba London, Mawi, Yunus & Eliza
Orla Kiely Tea Party presentation photographed by 
