Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter

Sewing techniques will be part of the school's set-up. - Contributed

From model to fashion director, to fashion administrator, Christopher Nathan's world is about fashion.

But instead of organising events for the catwalk, he will be preparing students to have their designs on the biggest shows as he is now devoting his time to the Caribbean Academy of Fashion and Design (CAFD) at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT).

Students in Jamaica will know that there are programmes that cover some aspects of fashion at the Edna Manley College and the University of the West Indies, Mona. But the CAFD will be a school solely dedicated to offering tertiary education to undergraduates who wish to pursue studies in fashion design and management.

Good timing

He says there is a buzz in the region and feels that the school's opening comes at a good time. He cited a lack of opportunities for training, marketing and investment hindering the development of the industry, but thinks these can be overcome. Nathan started out in the fashion world in 1978 as a model before taking on the management side of the business.

"I see it as my way of giving back to young people," he says. He opened the Coco Velvet International, a fashion management agency. The former senior production assistant with Pulse's Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW) took a small hiatus but returned for this year's CFW and at the event's forum, he presented the plans for the school.

This is no fly-by-night operation. The CAFD offers a four-year, full-time, Bachelor of Arts degree in fashion design and a two-year, part-time diploma in fashion management and fashion design. It has been hard work.

Challenges

Christopher Nathan struts his stuff. - Contributed

"There have been challenges. Finding the right instructors, selecting the right students, making sure they are up to scratch and getting the infrastructure ready for September," he said. He also pointed out that classrooms were being renovated for the venue and equipment specific to a fashion school, like special steam irons, sewing supplies and dress forms.

He says the fashion industries in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago are similar, in that there is a lot of potential that is not yet realised. "Some people still don't see it as a business," he points out, citing that many persons still consider fashion as a hobby where they can make clothes for themselves and their friends.

For the first year, all 90 spaces will be filled by students from the twin island republic. But Nathan is already in talks with the Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts, as well as the UWI, Mona, to fund scholarships for Jamaican students to attend the school as the institution expands. He is also looking for students from other Caribbean islands, as well as Central and South America, in future years.

Form alliances

Nathan also wants to form alliances with noted fashion schools around the world, as well as facilitating student exchange programmes and internships.

One of the major goals of the CAFD is to make the region a fashion centre on par or even exceeding Milan, New York and Paris. He feels this is possible with the right collaboration training and education.

This is an example of the draping techniques that are being offered. - Contributed