For decades, but most definitely prior to Wednesday, November 7, 2001, the term “Fashion Week” conjured up images of luxurious white tents, shapely towering legs, billowy frocks, flashing lights and humourless-looking fashion editors expertly framed against the cosmopolitan backdrops of the ‘Big Four’: Paris, Milan, London and New York.

The thought of a Caribbean Fashionweek would have been scoffed at — the notion of Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell or Christy Turlington strutting down Knutsford Boulevard en route to a fitting at the Hilton Kingston hotel, or sitting quietly munching on Tastee patties in-between shows or, heaven forbid, sliding out of a cab en route to Asylum for an after-party! Pulse CEO Kingsley Cooper had already tasted success in the world of modelling, giving birth to the high-profile careers of Althea Laing, Lois Samuels, Kimberly Mais and Nicola Vassel. The fashion-design world, however, was an entirely different ball of yarn.

Never one to be daunted, and perhaps buoyed by his school’s motto “Fortis cadere cedere non potest (The brave may fall but never yield)”, Cooper, along with forward-thinking executives at Jamaica Promotions (JAMPRO), stitched together a concept that would provide a platform for local and regional designers to display their collections to potential buyers and, in a broader sense, to showcase the Caribbean’s sartorial potential to a global audience. Such an ambitious concept would take two years to become a reality and some US$790,000 (US$972, 485 in 2010 figures) to stage. In the end, the November 2001 Fashion Week debut featured over 50 designers — Jamaica, with over 20, had the largest showing, followed by Trinidad and Tobago with 10.

With some of the region’s most acclaimed couturiers making regular pilgrimages to Caribbean Fashion Week in Kingston over the years, the uninitiated might be tempted to underestimate the importance of securing commitment from the get-go — fact is, nothing of this magnitude had ever been attempted in the region — but still they came and continue to come.

The grande dame of fashion in Trinidad, Claudia Pegus, stamped her design authority on the runway, seducing her audience with elegant evening trousers and body-skimming tops; the (then) young Trinidadian designers Omzad Khan and Nigel Eastman made a splash with their distinctly Caribbean styles; Guyanese-born New York-based designer Roger Gary left us breathless with his expertly controlled flurry of seductive colours, while local designer Barry Moncrieffe made every woman want to play dress-up. Les Campbell, also from Jamaica, made a statement with his male models parading down the runway in kilts, while fresh home from school in Toronto, Canada, Michelle Simone Clarke used her architectural background to wow with her complex and intricate creations constructed from raw silk for her SIIM label.

Cooper might not have had Naomi, Kate or Christy, but he did have his own triumvirate: Nikki Vassell, Lois Samuels and Carla Campbell. From Barbados there was Lene Hall and out of New York Lincoln Wynter.

Larger-than-life names weren’t only apparent on the runway; they could be found working frantically behind the scenes as well. One such was Audrey Smaltz, the president and CEO of the Ground Crew, a backstage management company that managed such high-profile events as New York Fashion Week and a roster of clients that included Vogue, Louis Vuitton, Donna Karan, Barney’s and Oscar de la Renta.

What enticed these formidable names to participate in the risky enterprise of Jamaica’s very first fashion week? Perhaps they, like Cooper, believed in the potential of Caribbean designers making an impact on the global fashion scene, and certainly the four-day event was an important success, for it lay the foundations for what Caribbean Fashion Week has now become and, indeed, for what the region itself has become in the world of fashion design. A decade later, however, many are still disgruntled, frustrated even, at the seemingly slow pace of success.

Designers, some with what seemed at the time amazing potential, have disappeared. The flurry of the Bajan contingent is regrettably no more, and our own local designers here on The Rock seem more content to sit anxiously in the shadows than to step out boldly. Fortune might favour the brave, but the jury is still out on what the next decade of Caribbean Fashion Week will bring.

Caribbean Fashion Week takes place June 15-21 at the National Indoor Sports Centre.