“I’m not simply speaking concerning the Caribbean, I’m speaking to the Caribbean,” says Jawara Alleyne, the designer whose flag is planted on the intersection of latest trend design and Caribbean futurism. In the previous few years, the Caymanian-Jamaican artistic has captivated the trade along with his daring, forward-thinking method to trend, the place clothes are extra than simply clothes, they’re statements of id, transformation, belonging and tradition. Identified for his fearless use of supplies and unconventional strategies, Alleyne reimagines the probabilities of his craft by remodeling knots of cloth and safety-pinned material into covetable, boundary-pushing product. However what strikes me as we meet one autumn day in London is not only his technical ability, however his means to inform tales. He’s, like a handful of the good designers earlier than him, one thing of a dream-maker.
Alleyne’s rise within the international trend panorama is testomony to his distinctive means to navigate totally different worlds, too. Transferring to London on the age of 18 to check at Central Saint Martins, he started mixing particulars from the town’s wealthy array of fashion subcultures into his work. It was this distinctive fusion – of the capital’s avant-garde power with the depth and mysticism of his heritage – that quickly grew to become his hallmark. Whether or not he’s designing for the runway or crafting customized tasks for the likes of Rihanna (who not too long ago named him as her favorite rising designer), Alleyne’s imaginative and prescient, he explains, stays clear: to problem standard concepts of what trend might be, and who will get to outline it. Right here, we sit down to debate his inspirations, what it means to be a Caribbean designer, and his journey of reshaping id by way of trend. From his early days designing promenade clothes within the Cayman Islands to his newest collections, his is a narrative of fixed evolution.
Inform me a bit about rising up in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, with large goals of being a designer? Have been you capable of categorical that absolutely?
Jawara Alleyne: I used to be capable of categorical myself fairly freely. I’ve been doing trend since childhood. Rising up in Jamaica, I at all times felt artistic. My mates would inform you I at all times had somewhat sketchbook, even in school. However after I moved to Cayman at 12, I seen there have been extra assets in comparison with Jamaica. It was smaller, the competitors was much less, and alternatives had been extra accessible. In Jamaica, there have been alternatives, however they weren’t at all times straightforward to get, [depending] on the place you lived. I did my first trend present in Cayman after I was 16, and from there I used to be designing promenade clothes, Miss Cayman Island appears to be like – something trend, I used to be concerned.
What was that first present like at 16? Do you recollect it clearly?
Jawara Alleyne: It was main. It was a contest, and it helped me perceive my capabilities and what I needed to do with my life. I used to be evaluating my creations to the likes of [Alexander] McQueen and [John] Galliano. I wasn’t positive if all the pieces was cohesive on the time, however now, trying again, I realise that the expertise helped me develop my very own design language. Now, I can create with a uncooked method, and the cohesiveness comes naturally.
It’s fascinating that you just had been making these comparisons at such a younger age – which isn’t one thing many younger Caribbean designers do. It’s virtually like a distinct style of design. I’m interested by how your Jamaican-Caymanian heritage suits into your storytelling as a designer?
Jawara Alleyne: I feel it’s baked in. Early on, I needed to create collections that showcased Caymanian tradition. I hated it on the time as a result of I assumed, ‘Who cares about palm bushes or the seaside?’ I needed to inform tales for a worldwide viewers. However trying again it actually challenged me to consider how you can incorporate my cultural background, whereas nonetheless assembly Eurocentric design requirements. Now it’s simply a part of me, and I don’t must attempt to mix these worlds.
That brings up the query of what it means to be Caribbean in trend, doesn’t it?
Jawara Alleyne: Precisely. There’s usually a one-dimensional view of Caribbean tradition in trend. Like, everybody romanticises Bob Marley and reggae, nevertheless it’s not the total image. I liked Dior’s Rasta assortment however, after some time, seeing the identical colors and dreads feels repetitive. I’m curious about telling tales from a spot of honesty. What does Jamaican or Caymanian id appear like past the apparent? Coming to London helped me take a look at that from an anthropological perspective: who will get to inform the story and the way?
“There’s a two-way dialog I’m making an attempt to have with my work, the place I’m not simply speaking concerning the Caribbean, I’m additionally speaking to the Caribbean” – Jawara Alleyne
So do you are feeling you’re within the strategy of redefining what it means to be Caribbean in trend?
Jawara Alleyne: Sure, it’s about taking management of that narrative. For me, it’s about feeling. Whether or not it’s the tough feeling of taking a bus from Mandeville to Kingston or the mysticism of pirates from each Jamaica and Cayman, it’s about presenting one thing that feels true to my expertise. I’ve already established that my story is rooted within the Caribbean, however now it’s extra about how that reveals up in the best way I deal with supplies. It resonates with folks, even these not from the Caribbean, as a result of it’s emotionally charged.
That emotional connection appears like how meals connects the Caribbean and African diaspora – totally different, however rooted in the identical influences.
Jawara Alleyne: Precisely! There’s this shared dynamic that touches totally different audiences, however the baseline is similar.
Are there any core reminiscences you’ve gotten – of meals or in any other case – that straight connect with your method to trend?
Jawara Alleyne: Seeing my mom and aunts gown up – they used trend to transcend their circumstances. Seeing these Black ladies carry themselves with such a way of sophistication and magnificence, regardless of not coming from a lot, was a extremely necessary a part of my upbringing and ultimately affected how I approached trend. They’re reminiscences and experiences that I proceed to make use of as instruments at present.
Did you discover any variations between Jamaican and Caymanian trend?
Jawara Alleyne: I at all times describe it like meals. Jamaica is like your grandma’s home-cooked meal – stuffed with flavour and magnificence with restricted assets. Cayman, then again, is sort of a Michelin-star meal – extra polished and refined, however with fully totally different guidelines. Cayman [fashion] is small, easy, and revolves round large manufacturers, whereas Jamaica is all about type and creativity with what you’ve gotten.
Rihanna not too long ago gave you her stamp of approval, naming you as certainly one of her favorite designers. How did that have an effect on you?
Jawara Alleyne: It gave me confidence. There’s a two-way dialog I’m making an attempt to have with my work, the place I’m not simply speaking concerning the Caribbean, I’m additionally speaking to the Caribbean. When folks from the Caribbean see my work, I need them to see themselves in it. Rihanna’s approval was an affirmation that I’m doing one thing proper, capturing these Caribbean emotions inside my work.
How do you navigate creating for a web based viewers whereas staying true to your offline artistic course of?
Jawara Alleyne: I don’t design for on-line, nevertheless it occurs to do effectively there. There’s an emotional connection while you see the garments in particular person. I come from a efficiency background, so it’s about creating one thing that strikes folks, one thing dramatic that speaks to them in actual life. On-line is nice, however I need my work to journey by way of phrase of mouth – one thing that hits folks once they see it in movement.
In the event you may collaborate with any artist – painter, musician, filmmaker – who would it not be?
Jawara Alleyne: I might’ve stated Rihanna, however that already occurred! So I’d say Tarantino. I see trend as world-building, and dealing with him can be fascinating. I really like motion movies, and the ladies in his movies have this perspective the place you realize the world revolves round them. That’s how I might describe the Jawara girl. I’d like to make a vampire movie with him.
Sure! A Caribbean vampire movie!
Jawara Alleyne: Precisely. With all of the mysticism within the Caribbean, it might be good. There’s a lot materials to tug from – totally different religions, folklore. It’s all there.
What does the phrase ‘legacy’ imply to you?
Jawara Alleyne: I attempt not to consider it an excessive amount of, however for me legacy is creating issues that individuals really feel linked to, no matter the place they’re from. I need folks to see a constructive illustration of one thing significant to them in my work. It’s not about me, it’s about how I make others really feel. That’s particular. It’s like creating one thing that evokes a brand new emotion each time it’s handed down. Precisely – the Jawara emotion.
