FOURTEEN collections were sent down the runway at Caribbean FashionWeek (CFW) inside the National Indoor Sports Centre in St Andrew, on Saturday. But it was Harambe, the suite created by Cedella Marley – daughter of Bob and Rita Marley – which many looked forward to.

And when it came, the fashion-appreciative audience inside the building applauded the work.

Rita, the Marley matriarch, to whom the collection is dedicated, was present to see the work of her second daughter. Confined to a wheelchair due to health challenges, she watched and applauded as each piece went down the runway.

Cedella Marley utilises ethnic prints paired with denim and other fabrics to create a fun, hip collection of flirty skirts, hot pants, close-fitting capris, feminine tops, flowing maxis, and jumpsuits and fitted jackets all set off by accessories including headwraps, canes and umbrellas.

The Harambe theme was further set off by a spirited mix of the song of the same name and a larger than life protrait of the collection’s muse, Rita Marley.

A former member of the Grammy-winning sibling group Melody Makers, the accolades for Cedella would continue when she was one of three designers names CFW Master Designers and honoured by the organisers. The other designers who received this award were Haitian handbag and fashion designer Phelicia Dell and Trinidadian Robert Young of The Cloth.

One of the night’s moments was the return to the runway of former Gucci girl Nadine Willis, whose meteoric rise a decade ago is still being talked about. Willis who has packed on some pounds over the years and now calls Florida home, walked the runway with her usual style and sass as a plus-sized model for Kerry Kays.

The collections on show included works by designers Beach Goddess, Vain Glory, Yvonne Jewnell, Sol By Drenna Luna, Julan, Crown Atelier.

Saturday’s show was ran for too long and saw the organisers cutting the event and rescheduling four collections – The Cloth, Attitude by Ashley Martin, Claudia Pegus, and Uzuri for Sunday.

Night two of the collections also saw musical entertainment coming from singer Christopher Martin who dropped a number of his hit tracks on the predominantly female audience.