Barbie from Alexxya (the store Tifa and I did our shopping feature ) was spotted at Style Week’s Friday event rocking a hot pair of white wide-legged pants, so on point. You know white pants are all the rage, a trend that really evolves only in style from skinny to wide-legged to boot cut to straight and will always be a closet staple. [click for larger images]
Loading …Styleweek Jamaica is well under way and will culminate tonight with it’s history making catwalk in the middle of Kingston’s busy busy business district (well on a Sunday night there’s not much business eh) and I can’t wait to be front and centre. The shows have been great thus far, with the normal setbacks such as HUMONGOUS delays between collections (man, we need to get over this ish!) but its all fab none-the-less.
Here’s your favorite fashionista snapping a shot with hottie model Tafari Hinds of GQ and French Connection fame. He’s such a gracious soul.
I also spotted Saint Top model Canise mingling in the crowd in a FABULOUS pair of black mary-janes with a red heel. She rocked it well in all black including the full length black leggings you all know I adore. Hot eh?
Of course I’m not about to leave you all out of the scene. I got a few clips of the final walks especially the fabulous Les Campbell, noted Jamaican menswear designer, Rojoe from Barbados and the dynamic Dexter Pottinger closing the show with the 3D 08 line. Check the vid for the fabulosity below.
Rojoe
Les Campbell
Dexter
Mynka is a fashion designer from rural Jamaica who is really a free spirit at heart. She chants nam-myoho-renge-kyo and practices Nichirin Daishonin’s Buddhism to keep her grounded and attract her good fortune and needed support. She’s got many ventures under her belt and the drive to succeed at them all. I spoke to Mynka recently about her roots and her latest efforts:
The Beginning
I started designing at about ten, cutting up my jeans and other clothes and sewing sequins on everything I wore including my shoes. My aunt and my stepmother taught me to crochet around the same age but I really started designing seriously at around age 21. I actually moved to Kingston [Jamaica] to pursue a musical career and [while] hanging out at the studios people would always love my clothes. I started out as a personal shopper at first and then people started ordering hats and then I would make clothes. I really dont know when the transition happened, I just know that Buju Banton was one of the first people to start buying my hats and he said to me one day “you know everybody a go want dem hat ya now, you a go crochet ’til you hand dem bun you” and it has been like that ever since: me crocheting ’til my hands burn me, lol. I used to write for the Teenage Observer and one day they did a feature on me and as they say the rest is history. Shortly after that I was introduced to Dewight Peters [of Saint International fame] who put me on my first fashion show.
Challenges
Lack of raw materials like fashion yarns, buckles and other trimmings.
Alot of [Jamaicans] will spend a fortune on foreign name brands but try to negotiate my price.
There really isn’t a supportive body to help us designers. Other Caribbean countries, I know their government sends the designers to school, give them buildings to sell their stuff or sponsor them to travel and go to different fashion shows. Our government does nothing for us. I am not saying I need a hand out, but even the business development center , that claim they are there to develop businesses, will order things from you, bawl down [i.e. negotiate] your price to little and nothing and then still take a month to pay you after the goods are delivered. The hotels are the same.
I am on a fashion committee right now and I am pushing to change that and trying to work with the government to improve the situations. Everybody keeps telling me I need to be a politician. I am so about fighting for justice which is the meaning of my name.
Who and where:
I’ve worked with Buju Banton, Cecile, Truth Hurts, Roberta Flack, Gyptian, Deon Silvera, Audrey Reid, Pam Hall, Nadine Willis, Arturo Tapping, Faye Alibocus, D’angel
My pieces are available at the CFW boutique in the Pulse Complex, Shades of Africa and la Pluma Negra [all in Kgn, Jamaica] for now. I am building a boutque in Grange Hill [Westmoreland, Jamaica] and thats where my base will be. That hopefully will be opened before the end of the year.
So Mynka, what else is new?
I will be opening a restaurant as well, been writing recipes for that. It is going to be all vegetarian and [located at the] same place in Grange Hill. [I'm] also writing lots of songs and planning to go into the studio real soon to start some recording. I have a cosmetic line to be launched, just have to get the products approved now. These natural cosmetics will be homemade and free from chemicals of all kind. Most of the herbs used will be from my mother’s garden and there will be something for everyone [from] baby diaper creams to wrinkle removers to formulas for naturally enlarging or decreasing your breast size. I am also wrting several books, the first out will ofcourse be about fashion. It will have original crochet patterns from me and fashion tips. My next book will be a cook book with all my favourite vegan recipes and the other books will be on stories of my life portraying mostly my spiritual side and how I’ve used my practices to attain success. I’ve also started an organization called The Love for Life Foundation, which is focused on getting people, especially teenage girls, to love themselves for who they are and also to help pregnant teens financially. What I do is go into the girls homes, teach them how to crochet or whatever else I can teach them. I also counsel them and help them to educate themselves. My intention is to have other people come in and teach them other skills.
I have a show in Harlem [NY] on the 18th of [May], then there is Caribbean Fashion Week and then I was invited to take part in the Islands of the World Fashion Week in Bahamas in November, so I’ll be pretty busy. A boutique here in Harlem wants to carry my line so we are planning a party to launch here in the states. I also plan on opening a school as I have a few students that I am teaching designing to.
As you can see, Mynka is a pretty busy woman with a tun-load of titles attached to her name! The challenges she faces have been echoed by so many of our local designers , I wish Mynka nothing but luck on her efforts to enlighten the government on the need for investment and aid in our booming fashion industry. Come out and see her new line at this year’s Caribbean Fashion Week and stay tuned to FOS for more designer profiles. The pictures are from Mynka’s showings at CFW 2007, more on her myspace page .
Are you a fan of SWJ or CFW? If you’re a true fashionista then you’ll be like me and make sure you’re at both! And if you just saw those letters and went "huh???" then get a clue! For this tiny lil island of ours, we are privileged to host not one but two esteemed fashionweeks each year showcasing the absolute best in fashion from this region and around the world. How we hot soh? Paris, Milan, New York, London, Kingston! A fashion force to be reckoned with. Style Week Jamaica (SWJ) is from May 22-25 and Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW) is June 11-15. Check out the different websites for all the intricate details.
Of course, I’ll be bringing features on some of the designers, personalities and models participating in this year’s events and I’ll capture as much of each week as I can. Guest authors and contributors are very welcomed during this time, if you’re attending any of the events and would like to publish a story/pictorial about it, FOS is your place to do just that. Holla at your girl and lets get it done.
SWJ promises to bring Ed Hardy and lets not forget that Indashio is showing in Ocho Rios on May 31st. Are you guys excited? Where will you be? Which do you regard as the better show?
Our resident makeup artist Sheroma has delivered a beauty makeover for our viewing pleasure. Check out the fabulous transformation below and pick up a few styling more tips from previous features here as well.
Brass.Angel.Makeover
Subject: Taleya Girvan
Taleya is a 3rd Year, Medical Sciences student at the University of the West Indies Mona. Because she’s always in her books, it’s hard to find time to be glamourous. That’s where I come in. Purple is her favourite colour and so it was the inspiration for the new look.
Hair [Prep]
1. Taleya’s hair was first straightened out with a flat iron.
2. For body I used a small curling iron to make ringlette curles.
3. Pin up away from the face to prep for makeup.
Makeup
1. Apply foundation and concealer. Seal it in with pressed or loose powder.
2. Create smokey eyes, concentrating most of the ‘smoke’ on the outer edges of the eye.
3. Overlay with purple shimmer eyeshadow.
4. Add silver eyeshadow just under the eyebrow and in the corners of the eyes near the tear ducts.
5. Add black eyeliner to the top and bottom lids.
6. Add mascara to top and bottom lashes. Fill in eyebrows with black powder.
7. Apply blush along the cheek bone at an angle towards the temple.
8. Add a coloured lip gloss to the lips.
9. Go back to the hair and comb out the curls using a large toothed or triangle-tooth comb.
10. Spray hair with oil sheen.
Sheroma Hodge
(876) 489-9592/535-3336
BrassAngelEnterprises@gmail.com
Myspace.com/BrassAngelEnterprises
Oh you didn’t know? Shame on you cus I told you already !!! Last time we spoke about vests, I suggested you use them to spruce up your office-wear or jazz up some simple tee-over-skinny jeans look. Today, I’m updating that post a bit with more colourful ways to rock a vest and stand out from the crowd. My big girls out there should feel comfortable rocking a vest as the layers add structure, nipping in the waist to help with the desired hour-glass look and covering up those unsightful muffin tops .
Here, of course, are a few of my combinations 
Notice how I incorporated some unconventional vest types and of course you can see my love for all things girly still coming through on this menswear trend.
Myspace is a great tool for networking, can I tell you?! I got a friend request from a site RepJa.com and a message to be featured. Its one of many that I receive from myspace, but you wouldn’t believe how pleasantly surprised I was when I clicked through to the site! RepJa is an exciting brand of vibrant, youthful and representational pieces that surrounds the popular dancing culture that has exploded in Jamaica in the last few years. I was so pleased to find a line that didn’t give me a full out red, green, gold and black line simply because it’s Jamaican. Let me put on my accent and simply say “the line sell off” “it a occur” “RepJa to di worl’!!! LOL You’d have to be Jamaican (and current) to get it folks…but don’t worry ‘bout that just cop you a few and be down with the in crowd. Let’s hear from the innovative designers themselves, shall we:
The Beginning
RepJa started at the end of 2006 out of a thought, which led to an idea, then a vision, that manifested itself into a fashion icon. The path of Repja chose us, we are all artists, graphic and web designers by trade. We simply applied the same talent and science of designing to the fashion industry. We are currently based in Atlanta GA
Sales
Sales have been great; every month there is an increase in sales and traffic to our site. We are getting orders daily from the Caribbean community nationally and also a lot of international orders. It has been extremely encouraging to see orders coming in from (Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, Sweden, Netherlands, and many more).That love and support only shows us that our unique product is needed in the industry. The best part of our sales is the request from stores to carry the line, so far we are currently in (Vinnies Styles (Brooklyn, NY), DSK (Brooklyn, NY), Reggae Wear (Miami, FL), Leigui (JAPAN),4Seasons (Stone Mountain, GA), Reggae Unplugged (Maryland, DC).
Challenges
One of the hardest things for us is getting our name recognized. Letting everyone know exactly who we are and what we are here to offer the industry. The marketing is very important for any company and it is also the most challenging. There is also the financial aspect which every small company struggles with.
Growth
RepJA will be the face for our culture our lifestyle and our people. We have too much style and charisma as a people to put us in red, gold and green only. We are bursting out of the traditional and the expected we are totally catching people off guard with the concepts and the ideas that our designers have been delivering. We will expand our line to offer jeans and cut and sew products. We are also gearing RepJA to launch a few spin offs for our diverse culture, meaning we will have a couture line. We want the company to be recognized not only for its style but also for the first clothing company that bridges the gap between dancers, DJ, singers and fashion and show you how they work hand and hand.
Check out www.RepJA.com for more pics and of course to shop! Thanks Omar for reaching out to FashionOverStyle.NET, we love you right back! Now follow the riddim and tek weh yuself!
Images from site
