THE bell at the Jamaica Stock Exchange has been rung to open the markets as Pulse kicked off its Caribbean Fashionweek 10th anniversary this week. Cocktail receptions are aplenty, trusses are mounting, the collection storyboards are finalised as designers arrive from as far as Germany and France.

Yardmanstyle ensures that this year his shipment makes it to NY from China for final destination Jamaica, in time for the shows. The BBC’s Josephine D’Arby has flown from London to New York for an assignment there before travelling to Kingston.

She also holds the African connection and looks to organise her folio in such a way as to make coverage of CFW for both the African Channel and the BBC. Back in Jamaica, Uzuri, who has had a two-year hiatus, puts in a request for a strategic booth placement. Meanwhile, Trinidad’s Meiling is ensuring that her guests fly in at the perfect hour for her showing. With Kingston eager to let the world know that all is back to normal, Caribbean Fashionweek is setting the city in motion as the collections begin tonight at the National Indoor Sports Centre.

New York stylist, Anna Shimonis, orchestrates a shipment of shoes from Mexico via New York, for final destination Jamaica as Carlton Jones makes his way from Paris to direct final pulls of accessories with his colleagues who will form the style team for CFW 2010. Richard Moody navigates his way from Japan before stopping in Minnesota and then it’s off to Jamaica where he will join a local team of professionals to call the CFW collections. Andrea Wilson, who will direct the hair looks, is busy finishing her clients before she arrives to fashion some great styles for her muses while Emmy award winning make-up artist Eve Pearl, who came to town ahead of most others, wants early access to the National Indoor Sports Centre way ahead of the model call time. “I want to be fully prepared and have the make-up laid out and ready for my team to get ready to work,” she declares. The storyboards for the collections are set but keep changing. That is to be expected as the excitement mounts for this huge fashion production.

Nell and Carla jetted into Kingston a week ago, the other Pulse supermodels’ travel reservations have been confirmed, cancelled and rebooked on account of jobs coming in from Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, and Vogue. The demand is coming from both sides of the Atlantic as Sedene’s London trip is delayed to facilitate her flying to Jamaica to walk the collections at CFW. The hot cover girl of the moment, Jeneil Williams will miss the benefit night but arrives in Kingston on a ‘red eye’ on Saturday in time to rush from the airport to the NISC for the shows that night. Jaunel, Kimanee and Oraine will arrive today.

Johnny Gill enquires about lounging on the glorious beaches of our fair isles ahead of his Saturday night performance at CFW while a conference call engaging Katia Cadet — who will travel from Canada to NY to arrive in Jamaica for her Haiti benefit night performance — is keen to get confirmation on her sound check time. Marc Baptiste who will receive a special CFW 10th anniversary awardM is excited about being in Jamaica.

Claudia Pegus has finally rearranged her schedule and will be on her way on Saturday morning to arrive in time for fittings before her show on Sunday. Mutabaruka sends out an advisory as he readies to sound out for the designer collections, while the press call for show schedules to advise the readers which of their favourite designers will present on the three-night fashion festival. Last-minute touches are being added to sponsor exhibition spaces and products are delivered to stock the VIP bars, booths and backstage. Caricom Haiti representative, Percival James Patterson has sent over his contribution to support the Haiti Art Fashion Project since he will miss the benefit night at CFW.

International media entities forward their packing lists for the equipment they will take to Jamaica while fashion editors, who are travelling to Jamaica for the first time, give directives to their photo crews as to how they are to capture the feel of Caribbean fashion. Another media entity enquires about the girls. “How are the models? They are very important to the feel and impact of our broadcast.” Welcome to Jamaica, the birthplace of world-class modelling talent, is the easy response. No problems there. The buyer matchmaking and networking sessions are being finalised as business development is a key component of CFW.

You know Fashionweek fever is here!

And it is evident everywhere, from the man in the street to the style sophisticate, from the billboards around the city to the pre-event parties, the passion for fashion has taken hold. The black press, the world press, the Caribbean press, and the Jamaican press. They are all en route.

The heightened sense of excitement about the 10th CFW and the buzz being generated this year, despite the reschedule, is beyond anything previously experienced. A record number of new designers have enlisted. The calls and e-mails are coming fast and furious and there is a total commitment to make it the best that it can be.