Mia Mottley, Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados, chats with her brother Elombe Mottley at the Barbados delegation's reception.

Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter

Even though it's held in Jamaica, Caribbean Fashionweek (CFW) was taken over by Bajans last Saturday as a delegation from the Land of the Flying Fish hosted a reception as part of the CFW experience.

Under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister of the Eastern Caribbean island, Mia Mottley, the reception was held in the 'Bajan alley' of booths from that nation. Mottley met with CFW executives and the Bajan booth operators along with some of the island's top models and designers who would be showing their stuff on the catwalk later that evening.

Anthony Sobers, CEO of the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation, was pleased with the positive local response to the Bajan offerings.

"This is probably the first time that we've had all the Barbados designers in one place, so we've had more of a visual impact," he said.

Pulse CEO Kingsley Cooper, who was leading the tour of the Barbados booths, expressed how impressed he was with the energy Bajans were putting into their fashion industry.

Doubling exports, increasing employment

Ms. Mottley was confident that fashion could provide an export base for Barbados. She expressed the hope that her country would double its exports and increase employment. On a wider scale, she spoke to the wisdom of investing in intellectual property and the rewards it offers. She urged the region's leaders to remove the geographical constraints and improve the quality of life in the region. She lauded the young people in the Caribbean who were reaching for the stars and opined that we needed to give them the platform to succeed.

Among the Bajan fashion houses at CFW this year were Paju, Bouik, Avark, Ashakai as well as jewellery collections from Luna Designs.

Nadine Willis and designer Peter Elias at the Barbados delegation's Caribbean Fashionweek reception.

Honorary Consul to Barbados, Winston Bayley, chats with attorneys Claire (centre) and Vivette Miller

Fashion designer Peter Elias (right) hobnobs with businessman Michael Ammar Jr. and his wife Angie.- hotos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer