Believe it or not, Jamaica has a Fashion Week. Set in the not-so-attractive city of Kingston, spread over three days, with men’s and women’s shows, exotic parties and the public grand finale on the main street, Jamaica Style Week is slowly becoming more recognized, organized and justified. After all, last week was the seventh edition already and the international press was represented. And for the first time local celebrity Tyson Beckford made an appearance! The man behind the yearly event is Deiwght Peters of Saint International, one of two rivaling modeling agencies on the island that prosper and export some of the finest Carribean girls in the industry.

My sister Evelien and I were flown out to write a report for V magazine. We sat through hours and hours of runway presentations, saw some good, but alas also a lot of bad fashion, escaped grave cases of tinnitus – the Jamaicans know how to build a sound system and they love techno! – and sampled some Jamaican culture along the way. From the beach to the mountains to the supermarket, we had an amazing time! We got back tan, relaxed and full of high hopes for Jamaican fashion. As usual I looked out for something or someone to shoot there. Because only a handful of designers stood out, it wasn’t easy to settle on the appropriate outfit but I finally decided to feature a black and yellow jumpsuit by Neah Lis and the accessories of Cinderella Hats, made by a very talented woman named Marcellas. We found a beautiful black sand beach north of the city and did our thing. Listen, I don’t have to tell you how cool Jamaica is. Anyone who finishes their sentences with Ja Man is groovy in my book.

Bikini by Old Navy; Shoes by Christian Louboutin. Photos by Peter Dean Rickards.