CARIBBEAN Fashionweek’s (CFW) second night gets under way at the National Indoor Sports Centre in St Andrew this evening.

The show — now in its 12th year — kicked off last night and continues tomorrow.

Kingsley Cooper — head of Pulse, organisers of the event — said that this year the focus is on designers and getting their work into the international market.

According to Cooper, for this year’s staging a total of 50 designers are to unveil their collections. This is in keeping with the 50th Independence celebrations of Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago.

Designers include Gavin Douglas, Shaco, Tiger Lilly, Meiling, Mutamba, the Mushroom, Rachael Williams, Summer Jarrett, Bang!, Cedella Marley, The Cloth, Zadd and Eastman, Julan, Biggy and Drenna Luna.

British fashion industry expert David Jones, a guest of the Caribbean Fashion Industry Association (CAFIA), will be conducting an evaluation workshop with designers tomorrow with a view to provide representation in Europe. The workshop will be at the Wyndham Kingston Hotel.

Jones — CEO of David Jones Fashion Management Services, a 20-year-old company that offers fashion management and related services — is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts; and a vice-president and fellow of the Clothing and Footwear Institute of the United Kingdom. He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management.

Cooper said that since Jones commenced his consultancy, he has assisted many small organisations to become established, survive and grow into significant enterprises. And, it is that transition into international fashion he foresees for many regional designers.

Tonight’s entertainment package includes British songstress Estelle, while tomorrow, American R&B singer Brian McKnight will take the stage.