Janel Jolly joins CFW 2010 designer roster

Janel Jolly is the latest addition to the contingent of young talented designers who will premiere their collections at the region's fashion and lifestyle event, Caribbean Fashionweek (CFW) this June at the National Indoor Sports Centre. The multi-talented 25-year-old Jamaican is working hard to make an immediate impact on the fashion landscape in what will be her official "coming out".

According to Jolly, the collection will be a mélange of international flair and Caribbean chic, a combination the designer said she has been working on from her initial introduction to fashion design, for which she credits her mother.

"My mother taught me how to sew and everything else just progressed from there," she said. "I started out making clothes for my dolls and then experimented with outfits for myself. The response was great and then I started getting orders. My first sale was in 2008 and the client was very pleased with the result. That piece heralded the official birth of my fashion label, Jae Jolly, and since then, I haven't looked back."

The young designer said she is now looking forward to CFW and is keen on her label's continuing impact on the potential clients expected to be in attendance.Providing a preview, the designer said the collection would include: "Garden-inspired looks of a rustic feel with the shapes of flowers and plants. There is also intricate detailing, a mix of different textures along with some metallics."

These are all elements which Jolly expects to return the results she hopes for as she makes this major step.

"The collection is feminine with an edge," continued Jolly, who believes in the allure of accessories. She said she plans to add complementary pieces for extra enhancement."Accessories can do so much for an outfit. A simple piece is transformed when you add the right necklace or earrings," she said.

And, if that weren't enough, the versatile Jolly will also include her own line of handmade bags and clutches to give a final, polished exclamation to her collection.

Jolly, a former student of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, also counts photography, a medium she said provides inspiration for her fashion collections, among her multifaceted credits. Jamaican-born UK designer Gavin Douglas, Italian design houses Bottega Venetta and Emilio Pucci are also among her fashion influences.