Left: Nigeria makes an impact through Deola Sagoe. Right: A design from Mutamba. - photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Carolyn Johnson, Freelance Writer

Who would have thought that models would work for food?

Yet, this is just what they did in last Saturday's second show in the Pulse Caribbean Fashionweek (CFW) series. The night was dubbed 'Catwalk the World Evening', as this year Pulse partnered with Catwalk the World in 'Fashion for Food'. It is a variation of the United Nations World Food Programme's annual 'Walk the World' project to create awareness and funds to help alleviate child hunger globally.

Kingsley Cooper, CEO of Pulse and chairman of Catwalk the World - Caribbean, presented representatives from the U.N. with $500,000.

The international campaign consists of high-profile charity fashion shows around the world, with the biggest and most creative designers representing their respective countries. As such, it was the designers who stole the show.

The show featured 12 designers, as well as designs from sponsor Nestlé. Designs from the Caribbean included Antoinette-Olivia, 5th Element, The Millhouse, The Mushroom, Bouik, Avark, Mutamba, Uzuri International, Lubica, Paju and Rojoe, and from Nigeria, Deola Sagoe.

First to grace the catwalk was swimwear from the Antoinette-Olivia line, which was later rivalled by The Mushroom as the only swimwear lines for the evening. The former, however, did not seem beach ready. The collection began with more conservative one-piece spandex suits and bikinis that did not seem to fit properly, resembling bloomers, then filled out into sexier pieces. Some pieces included shorts with high waists and suspenders with strapless tops.

The Mushroom was described as a fun collection for the Caribbean. It was indeed fun, sexy, trendy and wearable. These also came in pairs, with matching suits for both men and women.

Representation indeed

5th Element by Andrea King of Barbados was indeed a representation of the fifth element, love/spirit. The spirit came alive in her all-white theme with light, flowing and airy cottons. The skirts also flowed with 'V'-cut layers straddling a conservative yet sexy line. Another more conservative line was Avark, with handpainted garments inspired by both African and Caribbean cultures. The garments had paintings at the tails, to the side or on the top. The suits also came with bags and sandals of the same earth tones. The bags had exquisite detail and were adorned with leather traps, while decorated with beads and fine painting.

The Millhousecollection for men used cotton, wool, linen and tropical fibres. Among the hits were a sexy, black beltless hipsters pants. Designer Coline Mills had textured materials, some retro prints and comfortable looking clothes. Rojoe, also a men's collection, was the macho line. Introduced by Buju Banton's Driver A, it was a retro look yet totally fashionable. The jacket styles were '70s and '80s, but still trendy.

Mutamba had African fashion with an Arabian mix, with the African influence extended to the accessories. Uzuri had many sexy, form-fitting dresses, very colourful and with almost every piece embellished with sequins. Also colourful was Paju, who seemed to have an ocean theme. Garments had outlines of starfish and corals with teal, green, blue and brown, just like the Caribbean Sea.

A lot of black

To the contrary was Deola Sagoe, which used a lot of black, while the outfits were finished with tassels, sequins, lace, ribbons flowers and embroidery.

Then there was Bouik. Described as unconventional, fresh, young and funky, the line "inspired by outer space" was missing from the introduction. The collection started with drama, as the model started walking like a robot. She was dressed in silver and orange with silver boots to complete the look. Others would slow down along the catwalk and then speed up. The collection featured silver, with other colourful additions of green, pink, purple and blue, with a glitter sheer material and Jupiter rings on various parts of the pieces. The highlight, however, was a dress in a pearl colour donned with columns of CDs and a CD bracelet.

Yet, this was what CFW was all about - spice.