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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Focus on Fashion JAMAICA - The Bahamas is a stitch above the rest claiming the top two spots of the first challenge on the design reality show, Mission Catwalk, season 3. The Caribbean based fashion reality show is dedicated to finding the best designers from the Caribbean and is currently being filmed in Kingston, Jamaica. Theodore Elyett of Nassau, Bahamas won first place in this season's opening challenge and David Rolle, also of Nassau, Bahamas came in second place. The initial design challenge was to create a piece of clothing inspired by the Caribbean, which could be taken anywhere in the world and recognized as a uniquely Caribbean piece emitting the beautiful essence of the Caribbean. This was the competitor’s first chance to introduce viewers to their personal aesthetic and style. There were no strict stipulations on the item to be created, fabric to be used or the silhouette to be used. Competitors were encouraged to be free and creative with their designs, while keeping the notion that the winning garment would be reproduced and sold in retail stores.
Elyett's winning design was a functional, and easy to
travel with, statement piece that would surely elicit fond memories for
the client of her vacation in the islands anytime she wore it. The designer
said he used “the most unique tourist experiences while on a Caribbean
getaway as [his] inspiration. The warm, unmatched beauty of a Caribbean
sunset, which features beautiful radiant hues of tangerine, burnt orange
and warm golden yellow”. He also drew inspiration from the rich African
heritage of the Caribbean people by using African printed material and
intricate detailing in the bodice of the garment which mimicked patchwork
often seen in Junkanoo parades. The fabric used in the winning design
was comprised of waxed cotton for its beautiful sheen, natural airy
quality and soft feeling on the skin.
The designer
said he was excited for his win, as it
was his "first chance to get the Theodore Elyett brand into a retail
space”. He launched his brand in 1998 and has since gathered quite
a following of fashionistas as his style continues to evolve and mature.
He has collected a wealth of knowledge over the last few years in particular
and the fashion world has taken notice bestowing numerous fashion awards
upon him, and even giving him the chance to study at Parsons for an intensive
program on scholarship. After the first challenge of Mission Catwalk, Elyett expressed his national pride by stating “this was a win for my country and my brand. In my mind I consider Mission Catwalk to be the "Olympics" for young fashion talents in the region; so when I won the first challenge I felt extremely proud, not only for my brand, but also for The Bahamas crossing the 'fashion finish line' in first place” After the first challenge was completed the designers didn’t take a moment to kick back, but rather stayed sharp on their feet by scouting out the local fabric store in preparation for the next challenge, which will give the young designers a taste of their competiton, and the chance to realize their own strengths and weaknesses. Elyett said he “was able to size up [his] own skills and realize [his] shortcomings on this challenge in an attempt to learn from them and improve them for future challenges”.
Even though this group of designers are all from
the Caribbean, their styles and talents are very diverse, which is a
great representation of just how culturally rich the Caribbean truly
is. The competition intensity is sure to increase with every episode
as the designers get closer and closer to the grand prize, which consists
of showing a collection at London Fashion week, a large cash prize, a
fleet of industrial sewing machines, and the chance to take courses at
London College of Fashion and dual courses in Paris. Even in this early stage it is apparent that The Bahamas is represented well in this competition, and these designers will surely be the ones to beat.
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