23 September 2025 |
The spirit of Carnival is woven into the work of Jawara Alleyne. The Caymanian-Jamaican designer makes clothes that demand to be soundtracked by decent sound system. Skin-baring, hyper-colourful, deconstructed before being pieced back together in sensual constructions. They’re the sort of clothes that make you sit up and take notice.
He called the collection Tabanca, a term adopted into Caribbean dialect to reflect the sadness of a Carnival celebration being over but the joy of reminiscing on the joyous memories made. Staged inside the ICA, Alleyne’s models looked like they’d emerged from a 12-hour party. “You start out with your look intact, but by the end you’re completely dishevelled. You don’t care, though, because the elation of an unforgettable night is all that matters,” he said. Out they came in shredded body-con dresses, distressed knits and chopped up T-shirts layered over one another to make barely-there miniskirts. Tees were collided and safety-pinned to expose flashes of torso and polo shirts were collaged to make fringed party frocks, all of which were paired with Alleyne’s pointed-toe rework of Converse’s classic Chuck Taylor model. If you’re looking to turn up and show out, these are the ideal clothes for it.
Photography courtesy of Jawara Alleyne.
