Shop-EDGE.co launches in style

The National Cultural Foundation (NCF) and key stakeholders officially launched the Shop-EDGE.co Fashion Cluster, on Friday, May 21, 2021 at the Caribbean Market Centre, Newton Industrial Park, Christ Church.

The EDGE project, which is a refreshing process to the concept of product accelerators, has provided an opportunity for all the participants in the cluster to earn revenue from the sales of the products; develop their technical design skills; develop patterns and tech packs that enables the reproduction of the designs.

Shop-EDGE.co project is a NCF project with the help of donors such as Caribbean Export Development Agency via the European Development Fund and the management capability of Caribbean Market Center.

During her brief remarks at the launch Chief Executive Officer of the NCF, Carol Roberts-Reifer said the project shows what is possible when we put creativity to work.

“This project is a beautifully crafted example of what is possible in an environment of adversity. So even amidst COVID-19 and all of the trials and tribulations of COVID our fledging designers from across the Caribbean came together and created a project under the EDGE Fashion project and this the Barbados component.”

The CEO added: “This is also an example of what powerful partnerships can do Caribbean Export we owe them such a depth of gratitude for funding the project again in times of adversity when budgets are cut and people are reallocating funds. Allyson and her team at Caribbean Exports said from the get go: ‘Yes, let’s do this’.”

Caribbean Exports Service Specialist Allyson Francis  congratulated the NCF for putting together the EDGE project and thanked the designers for their participation.

“Caribbean Exports had express from the beginning for this programme to be regional and we did have some regional participations. I am very pleased at that. I believe it is a programme that can be replicated throughout the region given what has happened here there should be no hesitation.”

Ms. Francis reaffirmed her company’s commitment to pushing the creative sector and said she hopes to continue working with the NCF.

The project was led by Director of Caribbean Market Centre, Head of EDGE Project and Design Rodney Powers and NCF’s Senior Business Development Officer Andre Hoyte. The fashion cluster utilised the expertise of regional nationals such as Sandra Carr and Bekim Retoni Rauseo from Trinidad and Carlos Nunez from Dominican Republic, provided for 30 plus participants from around Caricom via the online training component. The distribution of the designs will be featured in the upcoming 2021 Colombiamoda/Colombiatex in July 2021.