Jamaica's contribution has been central to a bourgeoning Caribbean fashion industry. Pulse Entertainment, founded by Kingsley Cooper and Hillary Phillips in 1980, started holding Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW) in 2001. CFW has become a wildly successful annual event, described by British Vogue as one of the most important fashion trends on the planet. Held during the first half of June, the week is filled with fashion shows, parties, more parties, and some of the world's most striking women clad in creative attire designed by a young cadre of imaginative talent. It's definitely one of the best times of year to be in Kingston.
Pulse Entertainment has found great success in supporting an ever-swelling corps of young model hopefuls, mostly from Jamaica, and giving them a chance on the world stage. Some of the most successful Pulse models have been featured in the world's foremost magazines, like Sports Illustrated and Esquire (Carla Campbell), Vogue (Nadine Willis and Jaunel McKenzie), and Cosmopolitan (Sunna Gottshalk). At the same time, CFW has provided a forum for established Caribbean designers like Cooyah's Homer Bair, as well as others like Uzuri, Mutamba, and Biggy. Bob's daughter Cedella Marley never fails to create a splash with her proud and tasteful Catch a Fire line.
Fashion Week attendees descend on Kingston amidst a tangible buzz created by an invasion of models, fashion media, and increasingly, designers from the United States and Europe coming to catch a glimpse of the latest unabashed creation with the potential to spur a trend reaching far beyond the little rock, Jamaica.
CFW events are held at numerous venues around the capital, centered on the National Indoor Sports Centre. These typically include Pulse8 at the Pulse Entertainment Complex and the stately Villa Ronai in Kingston's uptown suburb of Stony Hill with its trendy Kingston 8 bar.