Design Jamaica Collections (Part 1)

The hills (Stony Hill, that is) were alive with the sights of fashion for last weekend’s Design Jamaica Fashion Showcase at The Knole, Stony Hill. Spearheaded by designers Summer Jarrett and Simone Neilson, the event featured eight up-and-coming entrepreneurs who showed off their design lines that ran the gamut from women’s swimwear to trendy men’s casuals and dramatic evening wear.

AW Fashion begins our two-part recap with four featured designers — Neilson’s MiSim line, Club Diamonds, SOL by drennaLUNA and Vain Glory.

CLUB DIAMONDS

For the man with edgy fashion sensibilities, Club Diamonds designing pair of France-Roy Brown and Touissant James offered wardrobe picks that were distinctively different (Exhibit A: bold floral-print trousers; Exhibit B: shirts with black-and white detailing on the sleeves and collar).

SOL by drennaLUNA (The ‘Athena’ collection)

With a collection named after Athena, the Grecian goddess of wisdom and courage, designer Angelie Martin-Spencer was determined to make a bold statement with her 18-piece reveal. Mission accomplished! A mix of flowing whites, corals, blacks, sexy rompers and bikinis, the Athena showcase was a winner.

MiSim

Designer Simone Neilson dedicated her MiSim collection named ‘My Mother’s Child’ to mum Seddie Neilson. “It’s meant for the sophisticated woman,” the designer explained. “It’s vintage pieces reimagined as modern.” The collection’s colour palette was dominated by whites and shades of blue, and showcased high-waisted skirts and pants, as well as flared skirts and peplums.

VAIN GLORY

Designer Jehan Jackson’s Vain Glory Swim and Old Harbour Babe collection featured vibrant digitally printed botanical and geological imagery, and rich foliage prints on contemporary and vintage-influenced swimwear.

(PHOTOS: BRYAN CUMMINGS)