Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter
Joan Ward, publisher of 'Shabeau, - Shades of Caribbean Beauty', makes a toast with Pulse CEO Kingsley Cooper. - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
LAST WEEKEND was all about Caribbean fashion and Barbadian Joan Ward was not about to be left out.
The daring entrepreneur officially launched her fashion magazine in Jamaica, Shabeau - Shades of Caribbean Beauty, at the Redbones Blues Café on Saturday. The magazine has been around for about two and a half years, but, according to Joel Wolfe, of Goldenfoot Villa (part sponsor of the evening along with Pulse), the occasion was a chance for Ward to liaise with her Jamaican clients.
"We still teething, but we trying to walk; stand on our feet," said the ever energetic Ward.
Pulse CEO, Kingsley Cooper, who was on hand, praised Ward for her bold initiative of starting a fashion magazine in a country (Barbados) where there wasn't really a market for it. He assured her that the process of building and development is taking place and in time, she would be even more successful. Shabeau is already in the island with Novelty Trading as its distributor. So clearly, the aim is to expand.
Ward was delighted by the reception she received in Jamaica. Considering herself a 'Jamaican by proxy', she said that Shabeau wasn't just another forum to showcase what was happening in Caribbean fashion. She was adamant that the magazine was ready to take Jamaica by storm.
But this evening wasn't just about launching Shabeau either. The aforementioned Wolfe gave the gathering the first official taste of his own creation, Jamosa which is champagne mixed with Ting. Big plans exist for this drink too, as there are hopes to possibly make it into brand.
Shabeau is a full-colour women's magazine published quarterly. But it's not just about fashion, there are articles on health, music, language, food and leisure. About 80 per cent of Shabeau's 100,000 readers are from the Caribbean, but headway has been made in the North American market.
