Designers meet models ahead of fashion event

(CNS): Designers who will be showcasing their work at the FRESH 2012 next month have now met with and fitted the models who will be wearing their collections at the much anticipated fashion event. Although designers Jacqueline Bleicher, Shirley DaCosta, Melissa Dilbert, Virginia Foster, Mara McBean and Sandra Lichtenstein are no strangers to the business Melissa, Shirley, Jacqueline and Mara will be presenting their collections to the public for the first time.  Production Manager Kareem-Nelson Hull who oversaw the final decision-making details of the designs said things are progressing well eight weeks ahead of the show.

“This meeting was a major event for the designers as they can move from a conceptual mindset to realising their concepts will be brought to life in only a few weeks,” he said in relation to the models and designers first meeting.

Design Manager Kidan Brooks who has been working with the designers who will take part in the event said she had witnessed first-hand how their approach to fashion design has grown and developed in preparation for the event. “Now that the designs have been finalised we can move forward with the making of the runway pieces,” she added.

Kidan is a designer, focusing primarily on bridal gowns and bridal party dresses, and is an active member of the fashion industry. She was the recipient of the Best Use of Cotton Award by Cotton Inc. during the 2010 Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Senior Fashion Show at the Fashion Institute of New York, where Kidan studied. As a guest designer of FRESH 2012, Kidan will be presenting her latest bridal collection.

For more information about the event visit the following social media sites for updates about the event, fashion tips and trends and to learn more about the models and designers:

Designers’ Bios:
Jacqueline Bleicher
Jacqueline is an urban wear designer. She is well travelled and has lived in a number of Caribbean countries and the UK. This exposure has influenced her world perspective and ultimately, her awareness and innovation as they relate to fashion. As a designer, she recognises that clothing has the power to transform an individual and hopes to be able to fill this niche in the fashion industry.

Mara McBean
Mara has been designing clothing from the age of 13. FRESH 2012 will be her first public appearance as a designer. She is primarily a self-taught designer whose concepts are predominantly tailored for women's fashion. Mara's creative ability lends itself to diversity and men's wear may become a part of her unique collection in the future. She is inspired by her own vision and imagination.

Melissa Dilbert
Melissa has been interested in fashion design since she was a little girl. She became very excited when she learned about the CNCF Fashion Designer Workshop and registered as quickly as she could. She has enjoyed developing her professional portfolio and feels she has taken the first step to realising her dream. FRESH 2012 will be the first time Melissa presents her designs publically and her collection is based on classic elegance shown in bright rainbows of colour.

Sandra Lichtenstein
Sandra has had a passion for sewing for over 25 years. This passion has more recently extended into fashion designing, for her own personal collection and brides. Over the years she has developed her fashion sense by attending several sewing workshops and she has been greatly inspired by designers like Coco Chanel and Ralph Lauren. Her collection for FRESH 2012 will showcase her creative passion and confident sense of style.

Shirley DaCosta
Shirley has wanted to be a fashion designer for as long as she can remember. Over the past 25 years Shirley has been dabbling in design and making clothes for friends, family and the occasional paying customer with the largest ensemble being for her own wedding. She hopes her FRESH 2012 collection will evoke feelings of cool, calm and relaxing sophistication peppered with a little Caribbean spice and flair. 

Virginia Foster
Through her role as an educator, Virginia has become very interested in the preservation of Caymanian heritage and recently received the CNCF Gold Award for Creativity in the Arts. Virginia is best known for incorporating silver thatch stitching in her collections. She believes fashion is an art form and endeavours to elevate national pride and support an eco-consciousness approach through her designs.

Kidan Brooks
As a child Kidan often passed the time sketching designs and sewing dresses for her dolls. She has recently received a BFA in Fashion Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and completed internships with renowned fashion houses such as Tuleh and Narciso Rodriguez. While in New York, she regularly roamed the tents of New York Fashion Week and participated in both US and Caribbean fashion shows. Bridal design is her avenue of choice and she is most inspired by the gratification of making her brides feel magnificent.

Jawara Alleyne
Jawara is a self-taught fashion designer and artist. He has become a favourite designer of FRESH and is a two-time winner of the CNCF’s Designer of the Year Award. He has been featured in She Caribbean Magazine and featured in numerous editorial spreads. Jawara will present his farewell collection at FRESH 2012 before beginning his studies this fall.

Facebook: Facebook.com/FRESH2012
Twitter: @FreshCayman
Tumblr: FRESHCayman.Tumblr.com