Mijé’s Carnival Catwalk continues to impress

03.JULY.09

by Jamila Soso-Vincent

By now an eagerly anticipated event during the carnival season, Mijé’s Carnival Catwalk 4 was definitely another hit with patrons – impressing them with innovative collections, glamorous models and a show that ran like clockwork.{{more}}

Last year’s venue of Pirates’ Cove, Lowmans, was ditched on Sunday, June 28th, in favour of the Cruise Ship Terminal, which provided a bigger catwalk and more space for patrons to take in the show’s delights.

The crowd was treated to flamboyant collections by designers from St. Lucia, the USA, Barbados, Guyana and home turf, St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Accessories designers Merle Gellizeau and Alicia Simmons opened the show with brilliant displays of handbags, necklaces, belts, earrings and bracelets. The swimwear collections were clearly the crowd favourites – especially with the males in the audience! Designers Tamiko Browne (SVG), Celeste Johnny (USA) and Cassandra Mottley (Barbados) exhibited beautifully made swim/beach wear that employed the use of bright colours and bold prints.

The men’s wear collections were more sedate, and used muted colours such as beige, tan, white, baby yellow and black, but that only served to highlight the simple, crisp and elegant cuts and designs. Lem Danzell, Andrew Harris (Guyana) and Sharon Tanner (St Lucia) dominated this category.

Although the regional and international designers made quite an impression, local designers were not to be outshone! Jeremy Payne, Crystal Daniel, Karen DeFreitas-Fraser, Kimon Baptiste and Kimya Glasgow presented collections that demonstrated just how much talent St. Vincent and the Grenadines really has. If provided with the right stimuli and financial backing, it is safe to say that these designers will be a force to be reckoned with in the fashion world.

Their collections ranged from haute couture to casual with a varied use of fabrics, nature-inspired designs and bold colours, which ultimately gave a truly Caribbean flavour.

Jean Johnny-Findlay, founder of Mijé Modelling and Personal Development Agency, expressed her delight at the show’s success. She related that even before the end of the show, patrons were flocking to share their positive reviews.

Johnny-Findlay was particularly impressed with the designers and models, who she believes put in extra effort this year. “They did a fantastic job!” However, she is of the opinion that there is room for improvement. A few of the designers need to work on their time management, a better venue needs to be located, and more sponsors would vastly improve the show’s execution.

This year’s sponsors included Nivea, SVGTV, Digicel, Oceanville Apartments, The News Newspaper, The Vincentian, Square Deal Shippers, Lipton Tea (through J.G Agencies & Sons) and Lasco (through Better Brands).

Mid-show entertainment was provided by local duo Troots ‘n Ice, and the Arabesque Dance Company ushered patrons as they arrived and left the show.