Style & Vibes Podcast Ep. 37: Caribbean Designers at NYFW

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Produced by Breadfruit Media

We’re giving you more style! In this episode, Syn of  Caribbean Style Phyle and I are talking about Caribbean designers at New York Fashion Week. Cushnie, by Carly Cushnie, Pyer Moss by Kerby Jean Raymond and Savage Fenty by Rihanna. 

Stylin’ On: Caribbean Designers

• Cushnie SS/20 Phenomenal Mother
• Pyer Moss Collection 3 – Sister (see full show here) 
• Savage x Fenty by Rihanna

Vibin’ to: “Games” by Tosh Alexander (also check out the video)

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Episode Highlights

On Cushnie by Carly Cushnie 

Syn: New York Fashion Week is the go to and this particular season just shown for spring/summer 2020 and um you know, to me I was seeing a lot of amazing designers. we are talking about our Caribbean designers. From Jamaica we are talking about the Cushnie Design from. From Barbados we are talking about Savage Fenty which is by Rihanna and from Haiti we are talking about Pyer Moss on the creative design director for that is Kerby Jean-Raymond. They went at it at they each went for a different experience. The one thing that I got from them to kind of gel them and move them all together was inclusivity. 

Cushnie, which is Carly Cushnie. She is the creative director and owner of the brand cushioning, which is a ready to wear for women. And this year was the first year she chose not to show it in New York Fashion Week. But did an ode to mothers to Phenomenal Mothers. So she did a look book shoot that celebrated women at the on top of their games, not just women, but mothers. 

As a young mother herself, she just had a baby about five months ago and felt the need to pay homage. The designs speak to the kind of, not the simplicity, but the elegance, the powerful and inspiring mothers throughout the collection. I love that she chose and the persons that she chose to be in her lookbook, La La Anthony, Veronica Webb, Bozoma Saint John to name a few.

Mikelah: I’m used to seeing a lot of bright colors from her. Yes. But yet feminine. You can tell that having her child and going through the phases of motherhood, she thought about it her designs Yeah. more softer, more. Yes. And you know, as a mom, especially a new mom you want clothes that are somewhat functional and fashionable. It was like absolute marriage between the two. 

Syn: I think that that speaks to us as moms too. Because even in what we do, we now can look and appreciate our moms for all that they have put in. When you’re young and not realizing what mommy’s doing. Then when you become a mommy, it’s just like wait, “this is what she did?” How amazing so it really was I loved I loved each design. She played around with pastels. She played around with chambray prints, denim prints, a lot of beautiful silhouettes many dresses. She had a wrap dress in there. 

On Pyer Moss by Kerby Jean-Pierre

Syn: Pyer Moss. So, what I thought was super, super dope. Not only was it in Brooklyn 500 non-industry guests were invited. His collection was entitled Sister, I believe in it as well to the black women and popular American music. What I did not know. And he schooled me on the fact that the sound that is Rock & Roll was actually created by Sister Rosetta Thorpe. 

Mikelah: I knew Rock & Roll was created by black people like, and Chuck Berry, gets a lot of credit. I didn’t know who Sister Rosetta Thorpe was. So I think that was an amazing historical reference piece. Yes. And, you know, he even mentioned that a lot of women are forgotten in history. So, it was his way of writing her back in through his artwork, so I really love that. 

Syn: I really respect him as an artist, he, he always pushes the envelope, his collections are always thought-provoking. And always, you know, he’s always very mindful of the African American and how we are portrayed in culture, not just pop culture, because culture on a whole, you know, and being helped, allowing us to speak our voice through his clothes. 

The show was at the Kings Theatre with the backdrop of an amazing choir singing all types of different songs, and it was really, really dope. The designs spoke to Rock & Roll. So his designs had the piano, the silhouette of a guitar, a portrait of Sister Rosetta Thorpe on one of the beautiful tunics. It was a lot of colors, a lot of electric vibes, a lot of use of the silhouettes of rain much so I think along the lines of the guitar shape and the piano shape, and it just really was a dope old to this woman who created the sound called rock and roll in the church nonetheless. So you know, a big shout out to Pyer Moss, Kerby Jean-Raymond is of Haitian descent. So it’s always great to have our Caribbean designers just kind of kicking in the doors. 

On Savage Fenty by Rihanna 

Syn: What I do love, and what I what I’m everybody saying about this particular collection is the inclusivity. So you know, when you walk into a lot of a lingerie shop, the nudes that you’re looking for, it’s not the nude of your skin color. She has represented us in that way, she’s able to dial to get to the proper colors match our nudes. The lingerie while it is sexy, it is structured and it supports us. It’s not just the simple A-B-C cup that you see in the normal stores. She’s gone all the way up. So everybody is included. The show was simply amazing. The venue was breathtaking. I heard it was a lot of steps to climb. And a lot of people were intimidated by the actual show and where it was held but nothing short of praise to Rihanna. She’s putting out an album soon. She is also launching her line with Louis Vuitton soon. I think that’s coming out soon, as well as her beauty empire. For her fashion show, there wasn’t a lot on the actual show itself, because it’s going to be it’s going to on Amazon Prime Video as of September 20. 

On the 3-Fashion Experiences

Mikelah: Cushnie, she has this ready to wear line. Pyer Moss (Kerby Jean-Raymond) is doing the direction for Reebok, as well as doing his own line. He’s pulling all of these collaborations and ideas together under one house. Very thought-provoking. Yeah, and it’s very each piece that he puts out, it’s very limited, and it’s very thought-provoking. So he puts his thought into each piece, which I really, really love. Then with Rihanna, she has made most of her, all of her lines, I think are pretty reasonable in price points. So she knows exactly who she’s reaching for in terms of being able to make sure that her fans are able to support, her products and her line extensions of her music brand, I think it’s really interesting. But what kind of pulls them all together is they’re creating very specific experiences in fashion. And I think if we’re at the moment where that is important because there are so many designers, there are different ways to kind of have access that people are really looking for why the why and why they want to buy from particular designers. 

I think these three really have as an understanding of the business, of their marketing, of their clients and it’s intentional. Which is important for people of color doing business in a predominantly white space that is very, that can be seen as very prestigious.