MONTEGO BAY, St James — The annual Ocean Style FashionShowcase Weekend kicks off this year with ‘Rip the Strip’, an additional feature of the new look event, to be staged in western Jamaica from October 31 to November 3.

‘Rip the Strip’ is a fusion of music and fashion to be held along the ‘Hip Strip’ in the resort city of Montego Bay.

” This is our sixth year. We are adding two feature points that I am particular proud of. One is on Thursday night (October 31) when we have something called ‘Rip the Strip’, and that is going to take place on the Montego Bay’s ‘Hip Strip,’ and it is going to allow upcoming designers and established designers to showcase and bring together music and fashion for a much wider audience to begin the Ocean Style FashionShowcase Weekend,” Douglas Gordon, Ocean Style Magazine’s editor-in-chief, disclosed at the launch of the event held at the Iberostar Resort in Rose Hall, last week.

The other new component of the event, Gordon said, is dubbed ‘Pop Up’ which will see a wide variety of merchandise on sale at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on Sunday, November 3.

“There is a retail opportunity and that is a win, win. It is a win, win for the designer and it is a win, win for the guests. They will have the opportunity to purchase from the pieces that they have seen,” Gordon explained.

He also announced the staging of the Oceon Style Celebrity Golf Invitational that will take place at the Tryall Club in Hanover.

The weekend of events will also feature a ‘Papparazzi After Party’ on November 2, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

Western Regional Manager at Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) Conrad Robinson, who also spoke at the launch, described the event as “an excellent concept which places the creative industry on display.”

“I think that is a publicity you cannot pay for it. The value of that … I mean you talking about the advertising dollars, the reach of Brand Jamaica in an event like this you cannot quantify it, so JAMPRO is pleased to be a part of this event,” he argued.

Tanisa Samuel, the western operation and marketing manager for J Wray and Nephew Limited, also spoke about the international publicity which will be generated by the staging of event.