A gown designed by Uzuri, and worn by Miss Jamaica World 2003, Jade Fulford. Uzuri designed this as her 'Back-up' gown for the 2003 Miss World Competition. -Winston Sill photoAlicia Roache, Staff reporter
JAMAICANS DON'T buy Jamaican.
This has long been the contention of many designers locally. However, as with almost everything else, there are exceptions. There are local designers who are being supported, some more so than others, by the Jamaican public.
While each has different products and caters to different markets, all agree that the single most important contributor to their success, especially in the Jamaican market which is overrun by cheap imports, is quality.
Lorraine Green, who has been a designer for 11 years and who
is responsible for the Loran V swimsuit line, stresses the importance of having good quality designs. "It was tedious at first, but you have to be patient; you have to show them your stuff is good, you have to ensure your product is quality and the finish is good," she says.
Jason Lawson of The Mushroom concurs with Green. He says he relies mainly on word of mouth to market his products and, as such, must always ensure quality. "If it looks good people will ask where it is from," he said. It is then that "the quality will sell itself."
This is in a situation, however, where swimsuits are not only practical, but are also in high demand in a country of many beaches and thus will always have a ready market. However, considering the tremendous price difference between imported and locally made items, there must be some truth to the swimsuit designer's claim that quality sells. According to Lawson, an imported swimsuit of inferior quality will go for as little as $200, while the average cost of a Mushroom outfit is $2,000.
READY-TO-WEAR CLOTHING
Ready-to-wear clothing such as T-shirts, denim pants and tank tops are also seen as viable products in Jamaica, hence the market would seem ready made for the successful Cooyah. However, not all casual wear lines are created equal. Cooyah Rootz Wear was begun by Homer Bair, Wayne Bair and Susan Kristman in New York. Cooyah has a distinct Jamaican feel, with designs in red, green and gold and a direct reference to musical legends such as Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.
Though Cooyah is heavily influenced by Jamaican culture, Gary Codner, designer and marketing manager, says that he has had to go overseas to get some sort of recognition for his product. According to him "seven out of 10 Jamaicans can only associate themselves with things that are overseas inclined. That is how they feel they look good."
This attitude, he said, comes from the mindset of not rating Jamaican products as highly as those made overseas. As a result, Codner has had to look to musicians and entertainers overseas to market the product. Cooyah has been endorsed through music videos by Limp Bizkit, Method Man and Lenny Kravitz, as well as locally by Elephant Man, and will soon be seen on MTV.
Besides the quality of the designs and the Jamaican appeal, Codner says that Cooyah's success rests partly on an established market. Not only is ready-to-wear clothing more popular in Jamaica, but the Cooyah line capitalises on "brand Jamaica".
"Jamaica is the biggest brand name", says Codner. "We must capitalise on who we are and stop allowing foreign investors to do that." It is with this knowledge that Cooyah markets its designs.
"When you tap into a market that already exists marketing becomes easier for you," he said. A Cooyah T-shirt can cost as little as $700, with prices going up to $2,800 for a button-down shirt.
But if ready-to-wear is the most commercially viable clothing product, how does one account for the success of brands such as Uzuri which has been around since 1988?
Mark McDermott, one of the two Uzuri designers, says it has to do with capitalising on a niche in the fashion industry. Uzuri does special occasion garments for weddings, graduations and balls and is credited with outfitting both the Miss Jamaica Universe and the Miss Jamaica World Competitions, with gowns for both contestants and winners to the international competition.
QUALITY AND CREATIVITY
McDermott said the Uzuri vision entailed changing the mindset of Jamaican population with "the advent of quality and creativity." He maintains, however, that this was by no means an easy task. "It entailed a lot of sacrifice, doing charity and a schedule of public relations events," he said. And while Uzuri is, according to McDermott, a "couture oriented entity" and not distinctively Jamaican, it still enjoys a certain level of success locally.
"It should be a quality product that goes anywhere in the world, not necessarily a standout Jamaican product," McDermott said. A Uzuri gown can cost from as little as $3,000 to a whopping $50,000.
Another factor contributing to the local designers' success, though perhaps not as evident to those involved, appears to be their longevity. None of the designers interviewed have been in the business for less than 10 years. Ten years ago fashion designing was not as popular as it is now and, in the last three years, with the launch of shows such as Caribbean Fashionweek, even more attention is focused on the industry.
Gary Codner of Cooyah Rootz Wear believes that though things are hard now for Jamaican designers, they were much worse years ago when many were just starting out. He believes that designers from the old school have done for the design industry what Bob Marley has done for Jamaican music in terms of international recognition. "Just being a Jamaican designer now can affect appeal; when others attribute accolades to the designers people will start believing in Jamaica," he said.
