KAJ Designs Showcases Caribbean Talent Through New Design Collective
Local fashion brand KAJ Designs is charting a global course for Caribbean fashion while championing regional brands as strong competitors on the international stage.
CEO and Director of KAJ Designs Liza Miller described the showroom as the inaugural showcase of the Design Collective, a new initiative bringing creative brands from across the Caribbean together.
She said the initiative aims to address the decline in exposure for regional creatives since COVID-19, while giving them a stronger competitive advantage in global markets.
“Ever since Covid, we’ve seen a sort of decline in the visibility of creative brands, and with the digitisation that’s going on globally and global markets expanding, we now have to compete with a wider array of brands internationally.”
She said the initiative will not only spotlight local creatives but also create a community of designers committed to supporting one another and building a stronger network.
“So this showroom allows us to have a space where we can showcase our products and make it accessible to a national market and create opportunities to market and promote the brands and the products that we have to offer through our marketing efforts, a collective marketing and public relations effort. So this first initiative is for two days.”
Ms Miller stressed the Design Collective’s commitment to quality, explaining that membership is carefully selected to ensure products meet high standards of production, construction and materials.
“So what we find is that these brands are very much favoured and appreciated by certainly a national market. Some of the brands have had the opportunity to export and have regional exposure. So for example, Coco CARIBE Designs, as well as KAJ Designs, we have certainly had opportunities for export regionally, as well as internationally in the past.”
As the upscale Tobago fashion house works steadfastly to position itself as a global leader in Caribbean fashion, it remains equally committed to advancing local brands as strong competitors within the region.
