Prudence Barnes, Contributor
COOPER
AS JAMAICAN and other regional fashion designers attain greater visibility in international fashion markets, and the traditional 807 garment industry virtually disappears from the Jamaican manufacturing landscape, Jamaica Promotions Ltd. (JAMPRO) says it is shifting how it perceives, develops and markets the fashion industry.
Kingsley Cooper, chief executive officer of Pulse Investment Limited told The Gleaner recently that despite obstacles in the international fashion industry: " we live in the period of the greatest ever promise for the Caribbean fashion industry, with an increasing realisation of its potential." He recalled many years when good local and regional markets (especially from a designers perspective) have been flattened by a combination of cheap imports and disrespect for the local product".
For years, JAMPRO which promotes investment opportunities in Jamaica has focused attention in the apparel industry on Jamaica as a location for the establishment of factories particularly in free zone for the mass manufacturing and assembly of clothing for other markets, and which acted as a source of employment for Jamaicans. Many such companies have opted for other countries where the cost of production including labour cost is significantly lower. But while some mourn their demise, others saw their presence as exploitative to the Jamaican workforce with very little benefit to the economy.
Arlene Martin, senior consultant, Export Department at JAMPRO said that the move locally is towards viewing fashion as part of the creative industries where Jamaican designers are seen as creators of products where they receive value-added rather than simply viewing apparel as a manufacturing process. "Globally there is a distinction between the apparel manufacturing and the creative side of the business," she said, noting that fashion spans a much more complex network of services.
"Globally fashion is fashionable, as people are much more fashion conscious," Miss Martin pointed out, adding that Jamaican fashion like its other creative products, is a strong brand worldwide.
"When people buy Jamaican fashion, they are buying into a lifestyle and an experience," she said, quickly adding that this does not mean JAMPRO will be limiting assistance to roots garments for the resort and gift sector, but will broaden its reach to establish a highly diversified local fashion industry.
PRIVATE SECTOR DRIVEN
The thrust to develop Jamaica's fashion industry has been largely private sector driven. But over the last several years, JAMPRO has supported private sector initiatives such as Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW) to facilitate the development and create market exposure for local designers.
However, JAMPRO is strengthening its push to give more direct assistance to Jamaican designers and Miss Martin cites the EU28.67 million Private Sector Development Project which is jointly funded by the Government of Jamaica and the European Union, as a major part of this push. One of the components of the project which is being administered by JAMPRO is directly targeting fashion designers among other sectors.
Miss Martin explained that under the project, funding is available to individual companies as well as groups of companies for workshops and seminars and marketing to enhance competitiveness and other benefits. She disclosed that calls for proposals are now out, under the cost sharing business development scheme component of the project, noting that fashion designers can directly benefit.
THE MARK
Caribbean designers are now making their mark, Mr. Cooper said, with designers such as Biggy, Cedella Marley and Jessica Ogden receiving critical attention on the international stage. Other designers such as Meiling, Claudia Pegus, Uzuri and Heather Jones are getting attention in major international press, which should lead to more commercial success, he said.
Mr. Cooper cited trends such as greater brand recognition for regional designers at home and abroad, the increasing celebrity in the global fashion industry of Caribbean models, and intensified private sector-led marketing activity in the form of Caribbean fashion events, media productions and technological advancement as a reason for the positive trend.
"Now Caribbean people are proud to wear Caribbean designs and the world is taking notice, and buying into what we have. No less an entity than Vogue is rating CFW as a hot new trend in world fashion. That is saying an awful lot. Through Fashion TV and others, CFW and, by extension, Caribbean designers, have reached every corner of the globe," he stated. .
Carl Williams, a director of Uzuri International, one of Jamaica's more established haute couture houses which has for the past several years supplied the wardrobe for the Miss Jamaica World fashion entrants, is one of the designers welcoming the JAMPRO thrust and the EU fund, noting that although he needs to know more about the fund, any initiative to directly assist designers is a move in the right direction. "It is good that they are working directly with designers rather than just funding an event to showcase our good, because there are much more creative inputs and preparation that goes into the designing process (that we need assistance with)." he said.
He said for many years local designers have faced significant challenges, among them the inability to access loans through commercial banks and other financial institutions, which are demanding high value collateral, adding however that institutions such as the Self-Start Fund of which he became recently aware, has been very helpful.
The duty on raw material to do fashion creations has also been a challenge. Mr. Williams is also hoping for incentives such as duty concessions on imported fabric and other raw material which cannot be accessed locally.
COMPLEX NETWORK
The impact of the fashion industry extends beyond model management, models and designers. It is a complex network comprising of designers, manufacturers; sales and marketing professionals; fabric and notion suppliers; graphic designers, magazines and catalogue producers, stylists, catalogue producers; photographers; models; model agencies; stylists; cosmetic producers and suppliers; advertising producers; show producers; buyers; showrooms; sponsors; advertisers and advertising agencies; magazines and other print media; printers; television and cable producers and providers, fashionistas and other consumers.
Miss Martin said that JAMPRO in addition to working with established designers who want to expand their operations and potential designers, will also be seeking to extend its support and influence to other aspects of the fashion industry cluster, such as photographers, stylists and others.
She disclosed that JAMPRO was also seeking other sources of funding for the fashion industry such as through the Centre for the Development of Enterprises in Brussels as well as seeking to work with local entities such as the Jamaica Business Development Centre to help persons in the industry grow.
Kingsley Cooper estimates that the "international fashion industry, including licensing for fragrances and manufacturing of brand name products, is worth hundreds of billion US dollars. He added that the Caribbean also has a viable market with more than 10 million tourists visiting each year. "When that is added to more than 10 million residents, a substantial market worth at least US$200 million (a conservative $10 per visitor/resident per year) exists locally." In addition, he said, regionally the market for models consist of commercial advertising opportunities, conservatively estimated at US$20 million a year, noting that with developments in regional publishing, regional editorial opportunities will increase.
