Following the success of his ‘Island Underground’ runway show at London Fashion Week in September, the Cayman Islands National Gallery is celebrating the groundbreaking works of London-based Caymanian fashion designer Jawara Alleyne. The exhibition honours his Caribbean background and influences, as well as Cayman’s past and culture, by upcycling tradition through fashion and artistic expression.
Along with his most recent spring/summer 2025 runway collection, the ‘Island Underground’ exhibition, which opened on Monday, 4 Nov., features his two early works, ‘Beach Business SS24,’ and ‘Eye of the Storm FW24’, along with his artwork, sketchbooks, design archives, and imagery by leading fashion photographers.
“We’re really excited to showcase the achievements that Jawara has already made as a young Caymanian creative with our community in Cayman,” Natalie Urquhart, the gallery director and exhibition’s curator, told the Cayman Compass at a private launch event on Saturday night, 2 Oct., ahead of the official opening.
“We’re all aware that there is this young designer out there doing some great things, but it’s very difficult to kind of really understand the gravitas of just how far he’s come in this short period of time. It’s about where it all started and his deep commitment to telling that journey and that story of Caymanian identity through his contemporary work,” Urquhart said.
During a media tour of the exhibition, Alleyne said, “Culture is such an important export right now, and it’s almost a take, take, take, but never any give. So, for me, it was important to speak about culture but also speak to my culture, so there’s a two-way dialogue rather than me extracting and not giving anything back.”
Alleyne added, “I’ve always been inspired by a ‘dare to be different’ attitude, and I wanted to reflect individuals who have inspired me to find my way of doing things … to write my own story. This collection is not only a celebration of underground culture but also an exploration of a fine art approach to fashion, where each piece is crafted with an approach that pulls on and expands a local identity.”
The newest pieces of work created by Alleyne in the ‘Island Underground’ exhibition pay homage to the late Bendel Hydes, Cayman’s ‘founding father’ of contemporary art, through bespoke abstracted fabrics, inspired by Hydes’s watercolour artwork and offering a continuity of culture and tradition from one creative to another.
‘More than just fashion’
The interdisciplinary artist, a recipient of the National Gallery Deutsche Bank Scholarship, said, “Bringing pieces of my collections and sharing the sources of my inspiration in the place where it all began, is deeply personal. It’s more than just fashion; it’s about honouring where I come from and sharing that story with the world.”
Urquhart added, “I’m excited as a curator to see how Caymanian history and traditions and the national collection [are] influencing the next generation of creatives in a way that they are taking [it] to the next level and completely transforming.
“I’d love the community come down and see Jawara’s skill and practice, to learn about his storytelling. It’s nothing like you’ve ever seen or thought about really in fashion, but it is intrinsically Caymanian at the same time.”
The exhibition runs through 7 Feb. 2025.
The National Gallery confirmed, “a busy schedule of free events and fashion-related educational programming” will be held throughout the duration of the exhibition.
Admission to the gallery and exhibition is free. Opening hours are 10am-5pm, Monday to Saturday. For more information, visit the NGCI website.
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