Runway director Richard Young.
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Saint
Lucia – After a stellar inaugural event in 2013,
Saint Lucia HOT Couture will take place again on May 7th and the
word is that the island’s premier runway fashion event will be even bigger and
better. A new venue and format have been chosen for the show, local and
regional designers selected and model castings have been conducted across the
island.
One
major change for 2014 is the location, and there is great excitement about the
Johnson’s Centre in Rodney Bay, which will host the glittering showcase of
local and regional fashion. Situated right in the heart of the Jazz & Arts
Festival hub, the venue will provide easy access and plentiful parking for
patrons on the big night.
At
a press launch of the event on April 16th Tourism Director Louis
Lewis said, “The theme of the HOT Couture sophomore outing is ‘Island Vibe,’
celebrating the awards and accolades Saint Lucia has received as a world class
destination for the past several years, and the signature events for which the
island has become famous.”
The
production team working alongside the Saint Lucia Tourist Board includes three of the island’s leading
fashion/event/production gurus namely
Mae
Wayne, fashion
savant, publisher and editor-in-chief of SHE Caribbean;
Adrian Augier of Landmark
Events who will once again provide the set design and transform the Johnson
Centre into a sensational, island-inspired backdrop for the May 7th
show and
Dahlia
Francois, décor and events specialist
who
will add in the
finishing touches.
Connecting the dots and knitting together the entire production is Trinidad and
Tobago’s runway coach
Richard Young.
Mr. Young, is a Caribbeanist” art
designer, stylist and producer who has spent twenty-five years promoting the
regional industry and made his TV debut as runway coach on the first season of
Caribbean’s Next Top Model in 2013.
HOT
Couture exploded onto the runway in 2013 and became an instant hit with
fashionistas and festival goers. The show will be in two parts, celebrating
Saint Lucia’s Sports Illustrated shoot with resort and swimwear collections in
the first part, while the second half will feature couture and party-wear to
celebrate the wonderful public relations (PR) received from The Bachelor for
two seasons.
From
Saint Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Guyana and Jamaica the 2014 HOT
Couture stage will feature rising and renowned names from the frontlines of
fashion. Fiona Compton, Queen Esther, Shazi Chalon, Treasure, Sophie Betts,
Thelma Williams, Claudia Pegus, Heather Jones, Anthony Reid, Mitchelle
Murrien-Meiling, Robert Young, Arlene Martin, Rhea Cummings Jordan, Shanika
Burnett, Kesia Eastwick and Spnoa Noel will all showcase full collections.
As an added dimension, returning 2013 models will be joined by a cast of
internationally recognized names, featuring from Saint Lucia Aishia Gustave,
from Trinidad and Tobago Soowan Bramble and Athaliah Samuel and from Jamaica
Sedene Blake and
Sashauna Alli.
The
popular Trunk Show returns on May 8th, just in time for Jazz
fashionistas to pick up the right outfit for the main weekend of the
festival. Hot Couture is expected to add even more heat to an already fiery
23rd edition Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival when the acclaimed
fashion show hits the runway.
Tickets for Hot
Couture are
priced at EC $150.00/US$60.00.VAT inclusive.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.stluciajazz.org. On-island outlets include
The Cell on Jeremie Street in Castries and Vieux
Fort,
Sunshine Bookshop at the JQ Rodney Bay and
Splendour Gifts and More at the Gablewoods Mall.
The Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival will feature some of the best
live performances from renowned local, regional and international superstars.
About
the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival
The Saint Lucia Jazz
& Arts Festival opens on April 30th 2014 at the Mindoo Phillip
Park. The festival
’s main headliners include celebrated multiple Grammy Award winning
singer-songwriter
Dee-Dee Bridgewater, Barrington Levy, Teddyson John featuring Alison
Hinds, P-Square, Tessanne Chin, The Commodores and Maxwell.
The
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER of the 2014 Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival is the
Saint Lucia Tourist Board.
PLATINUM
sponsor is Digicel - Be Extraordinary.
GOLD
sponsors are Heineken, The Wave, HTS, Karib Cable, Columbus, Flow LUCELEC,
Kings Ocean Services and Radio Caribbean International.
SILVER sponsors are Cotton Bay Village St. Lucia and Radio St.
Lucia.
BRONZE sponsors are Bank of
Saint Lucia Ltd, Chairman’s Reserve – Finest St. Lucian Rum, RBC Royal Bank and
RBTT Bank Ltd and DBS.
COLLATERAL
sponsors are Avis Rent a Car, Blue Waters, ExelSign, Guy’s Car Rental, Johnnie Walker Black, Hot FM, Kotex and
Guardsman.
