Jawara Alleyne: ‘There’s often a one-dimensional view of Caribbean fashion’

“I’m not just talking about the Caribbean, I’m talking to the Caribbean,” says Jawara Alleyne, the designer whose flag is planted at the intersection of contemporary fashion design and Caribbean futurism. In the last few years, the Caymanian-Jamaican creative has captivated the industry with his daring, forward-thinking approach to fashion, where garments are more than just clothing, they’re statements of identity, transformation, belonging and culture. Known for his fearless use of materials and unconventional techniques, Alleyne reimagines the possibilities of his craft by transforming knots of fabric and safety-pinned drapery into covetable, boundary-pushing product. But what strikes me as we meet one autumn day in London is not just his technical skill, but his ability to tell stories. He is, like a handful of the great designers before him, something of a dream-maker.

Alleyne’s rise in the global fashion landscape is testament to his unique ability to navigate different worlds, too. Moving to London at the age of 18 to study at Central Saint Martins, he began blending details from the city’s rich array of style subcultures into his work. It was this unique fusion – of the capital’s avant-garde energy with the depth and mysticism of his heritage – that soon became his hallmark. Whether he’s designing for the runway or crafting custom projects for the likes of Rihanna (who recently named him as her favourite emerging designer), Alleyne’s vision, he explains, remains clear: to challenge conventional ideas of what fashion can be, and who gets to define it. Here, we sit down to discuss his inspirations, what it means to be a Caribbean designer, and his journey of reshaping identity through fashion. From his early days designing prom dresses in the Cayman Islands to his latest collections, his is a story of constant evolution.

Tell me a bit about growing up in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, with big dreams of being a designer? Were you able to express that fully?

Jawara Alleyne: I was able to express myself pretty freely. I’ve been doing fashion since childhood. Growing up in Jamaica, I always felt creative. My friends would tell you I always had a little sketchbook, even in college. But when I moved to Cayman at 12, I noticed there were more resources compared to Jamaica. It was smaller, the competition was less, and opportunities were more accessible. In Jamaica, there were opportunities, but they weren’t always easy to get, [depending] on where you lived. I did my first fashion show in Cayman when I was 16, and from there I was designing prom dresses, Miss Cayman Island looks – anything fashion, I was involved.

What was that first show like at 16? Do you recall it clearly?

Jawara Alleyne: It was major. It was a competition, and it helped me understand my capabilities and what I wanted to do with my life. I was comparing my creations to the likes of [Alexander] McQueen and [John] Galliano. I wasn’t sure if everything was cohesive at the time, but now, looking back, I realise that the experience helped me develop my own design language. Now, I can create with a raw approach, and the cohesiveness comes naturally.

It’s interesting that you were making those comparisons at such a young age – which is not something many young Caribbean designers do. It’s almost like a different genre of design. I’m curious about how your Jamaican-Caymanian heritage fits into your storytelling as a designer?

Jawara Alleyne: I think it’s baked in. Early on, I had to create collections that showcased Caymanian culture. I hated it at the time because I thought, ‘Who cares about palm trees or the beach?’ I wanted to tell stories for a global audience. But looking back it really challenged me to think about how to incorporate my cultural background, while still meeting Eurocentric design standards. Now it’s just part of me, and I don’t have to try to blend those worlds.

That brings up the question of what it means to be Caribbean in fashion, doesn’t it?

Jawara Alleyne: Exactly. There’s often a one-dimensional view of Caribbean culture in fashion. Like, everyone romanticises Bob Marley and reggae, but it’s not the full picture. I loved Dior’s Rasta collection but, after a while, seeing the same colours and dreads feels repetitive. I’m interested in telling stories from a place of honesty. What does Jamaican or Caymanian identity look like beyond the obvious? Coming to London helped me look at that from an anthropological perspective: who gets to tell the story and how?

“There’s a two-way conversation I’m trying to have with my work, where I’m not just talking about the Caribbean, I’m also talking to the Caribbean” – Jawara Alleyne

So do you feel you’re in the process of redefining what it means to be Caribbean in fashion?

Jawara Alleyne: Yes, it’s about taking control of that narrative. For me, it’s about feeling. Whether it’s the rough feeling of taking a bus from Mandeville to Kingston or the mysticism of pirates from both Jamaica and Cayman, it’s about presenting something that feels true to my experience. I’ve already established that my story is rooted in the Caribbean, but now it’s more about how that shows up in the way I treat materials. It resonates with people, even those not from the Caribbean, because it’s emotionally charged.

That emotional connection sounds like how food connects the Caribbean and African diaspora – different, but rooted in the same influences.

Jawara Alleyne: Exactly! There’s this shared dynamic that touches different audiences, but the baseline is the same.

Are there any core memories you have – of food or otherwise – that directly connect to your approach to fashion?

Jawara Alleyne: Seeing my mother and aunts dress up – they used fashion to transcend their circumstances. Seeing those Black women carry themselves with such a sense of class and style, despite not coming from much, was a really important part of my upbringing and eventually affected how I approached fashion. They’re memories and experiences that I continue to use as tools today.

Did you notice any differences between Jamaican and Caymanian fashion?

Jawara Alleyne: I always describe it like food. Jamaica is like your grandma’s home-cooked meal – full of flavour and style with limited resources. Cayman, on the other hand, is like a Michelin-star meal – more polished and refined, but with entirely different rules. Cayman [fashion] is small, simple, and revolves around big brands, while Jamaica is all about style and creativity with what you have.

Rihanna recently gave you her stamp of approval, naming you as one of her favourite designers. How did that affect you?

Jawara Alleyne: It gave me confidence. There’s a two-way conversation I’m trying to have with my work, where I’m not just talking about the Caribbean, I’m also talking to the Caribbean. When people from the Caribbean see my work, I want them to see themselves in it. Rihanna’s approval was an affirmation that I’m doing something right, capturing those Caribbean feelings within my work.

How do you navigate creating for an online audience while staying true to your offline creative process?

Jawara Alleyne: I don’t design for online, but it happens to do well there. There’s an emotional connection when you see the clothes in person. I come from a performance background, so it’s about creating something that moves people, something dramatic that speaks to them in real life. Online is great, but I want my work to travel via word of mouth – something that hits people when they see it in motion.

If you could collaborate with any artist – painter, musician, filmmaker – who would it be?

Jawara Alleyne: I would’ve said Rihanna, but that already happened! So I’d say Tarantino. I see fashion as world-building, and working with him would be interesting. I love action films, and the women in his films have this attitude where you know the world revolves around them. That’s how I would describe the Jawara woman. I’d love to make a vampire film with him.

Yes! A Caribbean vampire film!

Jawara Alleyne: Exactly. With all the mysticism in the Caribbean, it would be perfect. There’s so much material to pull from – different religions, folklore. It’s all there.

What does the word ‘legacy’ mean to you?

Jawara Alleyne: I try not to think about it too much, but for me legacy is creating things that people feel connected to, regardless of where they’re from. I want people to see a positive representation of something meaningful to them in my work. It’s not about me, it’s about how I make others feel. That’s special. It’s like creating something that evokes a new emotion every time it’s passed down. Exactly – the Jawara emotion.

Scroll through the gallery below to see Alleyne’s entire SS25 collection

Hair SHUNSUKE MEGURO at FUTURE REP using ORIBE, make-up KYLE DOMINIC using MAKE UP FOR EVER, models CLAUDIA ISHIMWE at SELECT, IFER ROURKE at NEVS, J MOON at THE MILK COLLECTIVE, MOUSSA BOIRO at SUPA, ZHUO CHEN at NEXT, TOBY HUDSON JONES at ANTI, set design THOMAS BIRD at EAST PHOTOGRAPHIC, movement direction YAGAMOTO at NEW SCHOOL REPRESENTS, photographic assistants ARIEL MIHÁ LY, VALDRIN REXHEPI, styling assistant CORA MUIR, hair assistants RIO SHINMAKI, KENTA UCHINOKURA, make-up assistants MARIIA USANOVA, SASHA CHUDEEVA, set design assistants NANA-YAW MENSAH, TITUS HOPE, CARLOTA CABRERA, production NEW SCHOOL REPRESENTS, post-production SEVEN, casting JON JOHNSON, special thanks JAWARA ALLEYNE, SPRING STUDIOS, SAM ROSS