The Arts and Recreation Centre at Camana Bay was transformed into a catwalk filled with colour and glamour on Saturday night, as part of this year’s Cayman InStyle Fashion Week showcase, held 18-21 April.
Emceed by Kiara Belen, ‘America’s Next Top Model’ runner-up and CEO of The Fashion Life Tour, the collections of 15 local and international designers were on display. They included Sai Sankoh, Epta Wear, D’Marsh, Seems Africa, Adrian Alicea, Tiffany, Karen, Shameless Opinion, Bold Black Dresses and Uzuri.
With fierce faces and striking poses, some 100 models, representing all ages, races/cultures, genders, ethnicities, abilities and dress size, brought the hottest looks to the runway.
On parade were swimwear, resort wear, bridal apparel, streetwear, high fashion, gothic and risqué fashions, with original designs that were modern, chic, eye-popping, bold, daring and vibrant.
Along with the many displays of glitz and glam, the show included special performances by local singer Rico Rolando and international performers Taylor Fangman and Ian Sean, who kept the energy high at the event.
The show culminated with the models donning the latest collection by the show’s CEO and founder, Norma Ebanks.
Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan, who attended the event, gave a commitment to support the annual show, saying, “we’re going to double down with Cayman Islands Fashion Week, and we’re going to try to give them more money so we can bring some bigger names to the Cayman Islands”.
He added that he hopes there will be a young Caymanian designer “hitting the London runway… New York runway, and the Paris runway soon”.
Fashion A-listers
World-renowned fashion photographer Nigel Barker returned to Cayman as a guest host of the fashion show, during which he said when he visits the island, he comes to be “inspired”.
“The couture we saw, there’s so much attention to detail, the swimwear, all of the colours, the beading… it was just unbelievable,” he said.
International runway coach Alva Page was also among the front-row A-listers. Page told the Compass he was a “proud father”, seeing the models shine following a series of intensive modelling workshops he had led, and the model calls held in the run-up to the show.
“They did beautiful, their execution was beautiful, the garments were beautiful. Every time they stepped out in the runway, they looked straight ahead and that was amazing,” Page said after the event.
Page, who has supported the show since its launch in 2019, added that he has seen growth in the industry since he started training the models on island 11 years ago.
“There’s something about this particular group of models, where growth is there, and I can see a few of these models hitting the international scene big time,” he said.
Future fashion stars shine
This year, for the first time, the kids and teens had their own time to shine with their runway show being held earlier on the day.
Some young models gave their best on the catwalk, showcasing collections by JAG, YS Clothier, Wilburn Sisters, Wonderland, and JGHS Spirit of Cayman.
The packed four-day event also featured the kick-off event on 18 April with a swimsuit and resort wear showcase/welcome party at Holiday Inn Resort Grand Cayman.
Trailblazer Awards Gala
The following evening, a Trailblazer Awards Gala was held at the Grand Cayman Marriott Resort.
Presented by founder and CEO of InnaStar Trailblazer Awards, Jacinth Headlam, 20 creatives across Grand Cayman were recognised for their contributions in various categories, including fashion, beauty, modelling, media, photography, and community involvement.
Winners:
Modeling Trailblazer
Chloe Powery-Doxey – 1st place
Leilani Eden – 2nd place
Beauty Trailblazer
Aziza La Pierre – 1st place
Stacey Lugg – 2nd place
Community Leader
Lloyd Barker – 1st place
Dejea Lyons – 2nd place
Designer Trailblazer
Martina Bodden – 1st place
Kenzie Brown-Ebanks – 2nd place
Influencer Trailblazer
Tedrick Green – 1st place
Mariah Tibbetts – 2nd place
Media Trailblazer
Tajae LadyT Grey – 1st place
Zosia McGregor – 2nd place
Photographer/Videographer
Shankar Ebanks/Pictures By Shankar – 1st place
Joshua McField – 2nd place
Visual Artist Trailblazer
Jason Kennedy – 1st place
Carlos Garcia – 2nd place
Youth Model Trailblazer
Giselle Andrade – 1st place
Kezia McLean – 2nd place
During the gala, Cayman InStyle Fashion Week celebrated five graduates from the Creative Fashion School who had passed the basic and advanced courses offered by Norma Ebanks. These were: Linnette Thompson, Mary Jane Jalosjos, Chrissie A Ebanks, Gladys Graham, and Sharon Buckley.
Related Videos
