( L - R )Carla poses in a traditional Biggy design, a sexed up denim hot shorts and strappy halter top. Carla Ramsay wears a floral halter slip dress and hot shorts, one of the items in Biggy's upcoming formal wear collection. Styling and make-up by Stacy McNeil.- Photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Alicia Roache, Entertainment Coordinator

THERE COMES a time in every man's life when he must stand on his own. That time has come for designer Earl 'Biggy' Turner.

Known for decades as one of local fashion's consummate designers, Biggy has toiled behind the scenes while making choice appearances on local fashion shows. Now the designer, once synonymous with dancehall-inspired fashion, is making not one, but two, bold statements with his fashion event scheduled for the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston.

"I've been doing a lot of fashion shows. This is my own ting. Biggy at his exclusive best," he said.

It's not the place you would normally have a dancehall-inspired shindig. Biggy's current collections are not just inspired by the 'dancehall'. It is a label he has struggled with for years, the 'Dancehall Designer'. No artist, as he calls himself, wants to be labelled and limited.

One bold statement

So on Sunday, April 22, Biggy will make one bold statement as a designer of fashion with formal, semi-formal, casual and, yes, dancehall-inspired designs. Because no true artist forgets his roots.

"After doing so much things and getting so much response," Biggy says, "I think it is time now forme to step up, own my own and take my position inna the fashion industry."

He says more designers need to take this approach to business.

"The industry is big and is not like the music industry where is only a handful of designers weh always a represent," Biggy said. "You have a chance to take hold and maintain your thing, because nobody not doing that for you."

Beginning of many ventures

But Biggy says he is very excited about the formal wear. 'Excited' is not a term normally used by someone who has been going at their craft for 20 years.

And when you have been around that long, you make a few 'celebrity' friends. Some such persons will also appear on the catwalk for Biggy to help launch his 2007-2008 Spring Summer collection.

This outing marks the beginning of many ventures by the reclusive designer. He has started a model agency which features, in addition to your choice, waiflike beauties, full-figured models. (Dancehall-inspired designs look more like 'dancehall-inspired designs' if the woman wearing them look like the 'healthy bodied' ladies of British Link Up and Passa Passa, no?)

The agency is called Couture Models and, for now, represents Biggy and promotes his collection on fashion shows.

But how will traditional 'Biggy' customers reconcile his new formal wear and couture items with the edgy style of the designer?

"From a Biggy mek it it must have the Biggy look," he said. "'Edgy' to me means different, something interesting, something attractive, something weh can grab mi attention. So from a formal wear, a formal wear Biggy style."

Biggy is also bringing his twin brother into the mix. Glen Turner will debut his men's wear line 'GT Classic' on the show, which features only the two designers.

"I think him just feel like seh him see me get so much publicity and him feel like him good enough now," Biggy explained of his brother's decision to finally launch a line.