On the rainy Friday evening of May 10th, fast-paced dance beats could be heard from the ground floor of Kingston’s Eden Gardens Wellness Resort & Spa. Up on the roof of the building, a party was going on. It was the Press Launch for Style Week Jamaica 2019 hosted by SAINT International. According to SAINT International, “Over 25 Collections will stun the attendees at STYLE WEEK. The designer list spans designers from Barbados, Canada, Suriname, and New York.”

Members of the press, dignitaries, models, designers, and fashion-lovers alike came out in grand style for the press launch on May 10. SAINT Intl. CEO, Deiwght Peters, hosted the evening as many special guests including the Minister of Finance, Nigel Clark, and French Ambassador to Jamaica, Denys Wibaux, gave speeches about the worldwide growth of the Jamaican fashion industry and the importance of supporting creative pursuits. Ambassador Wibaux spoke of his admiration for the creativity of Jamaicans in the way they match their shoes to their accessories in the street.

During the event, the designer lineup for Style Week Jamaica 2019 was announced and the 2019 Style Ambassadors presented themselves to the crowd. Deiwght Peters honored his star models by sharing their accomplishments including representing high end fashion brands such as Ferragamo, Balenciaga, Dolce & Gabbana, and Polo Ralph Lauren, to name a few. The Fashion Block performers were also announced and much mingling took place. Event sponsors Swiss and Prego teamed up to serve pasta with tomato sauce and alfredo sauce to the guests in attendance.

Style Week Jamaica 2019 will commence on Thursday May 16 with a Careers In High Fashion Symposium at the Courtleigh Auditorium in Kingston. There will be events every day from May 16 – 19. The closing event will be the International Mecca Of Style at The Mansion at the French Embassy Kingston, 13 Hillcrest Avenue on Sunday, May 19 at 7pm. Follow saintmodelsja and styleweekja2019 on instagram for full information and updates.

Words and images by Jeana Lindo.