Mission Catwalk Season Three Premieres

I’m not very good at keeping up with TV shows unless of curse it’s #Scandal but I decided to tune in to Mission Catwalk and will be trying to follow it this season. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I’ve always wanted to do fashion design on some level so having a Jamaican television show about exactly that always allows me to play out my dreams in my head. This time around, the show goes further into the Caribbean, welcoming 15 designers from 9 different Caribbean countries.

If you’ve ever watched Project Runway then you’ll get a serious case of the deja vus here but we’re gonna skip right over that and get into the show. On the first episode, designers were asked to create a piece that reflected the Caribbean. These were my favourites:

I actually think this last one looks more African, than Caribbean, but it was the winner of this week’s challenge so I brought it to you. What do you think?

The judges were brutal with the two pieces in the bottom two. It’s tough to get such an amazing opportunity, only to be booted out on the first show. I feel like there’s so much to learn from a show like this with mentors in the business offering critique and advice, getting to use top of the line equipment and truly having to think on your feet. But, if you can’t keep up, you just can’t.

The bottom two:

The first one was from a Jamaican designer who was a little older than the other designers. Her work was very good, I love the cuts and the belt that she created but it was very costumey, indicative of Jamaica, not so much Caribbean. Her choice of fabric, our national plaid, shows that she may not be as creative in her designs and while her workmanship may be excellent, staying up with trends may not be her strong point. I would go to her to make me some classic pieces, trousers, shift dresses etc. but maybe not for anything trendy.

The second piece was not constructed well at all. The ruffles in the back didn’t line up and the top was definitely not made to hold any boobage. Keneea (the host who is one of my favourite Jamaican designers herself) didn’t like the many colours which I didn’t mind so much, I just had a problem with the sewing.

This was in the bottom pick for me as well. It’s trying to be a little too futuristic, a little too trendy, not very Caribbean. I enjoyed the episode and will try to tune in again. If you missed the premiere, it repeats today (and every Tuesday) at 5:30pm on TVJ. You can keep up with the show on their Facebook page as well. The prizes are pretty awesome I think, cash to start your line and sewing equipment from Singer, a spread in a magazine and a chance to show at a FashionWeek somewhere. What I love is the focus on retail, each week, the challenge winner’s piece will be available for purchase at Lee’s Department Store. Nice. Will you be tuning in? What was your favourite piece from the show?