Much infrastructure is needed to establish Port-of-Spain as an international fashion centre including designer agents and showrooms, PR firms, model agencies, training facilities, material suppliers, affordable retail space for new labels, trade and exhibition halls. Collaboration among the major fashion stakeholders in Trinidad & Tobago is also critical if we are to achieve this goal. It is worth
noting that Trinidad & Tobago’s fashion sector is being launched with several competitive advantages including:
Port-of-Spain’s Strategic Location
T&T’s strategic location at the crossroads of South, Central, North America and the West Indies affords several business and marketing opportunities for its fashion houses. Export-ready labels will be able to penetrate niche markets throughout the region. This was evident when Meiling and Heather Jones participated in Plataforma K fashion and trade show in Barranquilla, Columbia from March 22-27, 2010. Heather Jones Designs was able to secure orders from clients in Latin America while Meiling’s Collection Noir received rave reviews from the region’s fashion press. Accessible Air & Sea Transportation
Orders for fashion products may be flown or shipped to clients around the world without undue hassle. T&T owns a thriving international airline that provides daily service to ports around the globe; new international carriers will be attracted to the country as we gain reputation as the commercial hub of the Caribbean. The government is also considering a regional fast ferry service from Port-of-Spain linking the Eastern Caribbean archipelago which will allow designers to ship merchandise to high end boutiques and stores in exclusive hotels up the island chain. Highly creative, technologically savvy workforce
Trinidadians & Tobagonians are not only highly literate but also very creative and tech savvy; these virtues can help to position the fashion industry as a world leader in apparel design and construction through uncompromising quality control and attention to detail in the same way that Italy built their fashion industry in the 1970’s. We have a long established reputation for excellence in dressmaking and tailoring which go back many centuries. Professor Andrew Ramroop, Master Tailor/Managing Director of Maurice Sedwell Bespoke Tailors of Savile Row, London pledged his support for the Port-of-Spain International Fashion Centre Initiative when he presented a collection of handcrafted suits at Makin’ Style Gala Fashion Collections on August 07, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad. Professor Ramroop has offered to establish a branch of Maurice Sedwell in the proposed fashion strip on Dock Road.
