From recycled fishing nets to innovative eco-friendly fabrics, Caribbean fashion is embracing sustainable development more than ever. At the CARIFESTA XV cultural festival in August 2025 in Barbados, a ground-breaking sustainable fashion show highlighted seven committed Caribbean designers, presenting creations that were as creative as they were eco-responsible.
These new-wave designers – from Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, Belize, Panama, Antigua, Martinique and even the Caribbean diaspora in the USA – are breathing new life into the brand, proving that fashion and sustainability can go hand in hand with Caribbean identity and innovation.
Smart Swimsuits (USA) - Recyclable innovation for the oceans
American Aleksandra Fardanov, founder of Smart Swimsuits, offers swimwear at the cutting edge of eco-responsible innovation. Based in Miami, but present on the Caribbean catwalks during the CARIFESTA XV. The brand’s swimwear is made from recycled materials, helping to protect the oceans. Its exclusive technical fabric features an integrated SPF 35 that blocks harmful rays while leaving the skin tanned. This approach combines slow fashion and sustainable technology.
Alba Royo - Made in Women (Martinique) - From carnival to committed clothing
A committed stylist in Martinique, Alba Royo leads the “Made in Women” workshop for the D’Antilles & D’Ailleurs association at the CARIFESTA XV. It mobilizes the island’s women around an upcycling approach: recovering used fishing nets to make eco-responsible carnival costumes. A way of reconciling local creation, cultural transmission and environmental awareness.
Studio Perera (Belize) - Ethical luxury craftsmanship
Emilio Perera, founder of Studio Perera, advocates sustainable artisanal luxury in Belize. A former leatherworker turned designer, he uses only raw materials sourced locally: local leather, banana fibers, coconuts… Each piece is handmade in collaboration with Belizean artisans. In this way, Studio Perera reveals a sustainable and meaningful form of local fashion.
House of Argent (Antigua & Barbuda) - Recycled avant-garde
Antigua-born designer Garrett “Argent” Javan is a proponent of avant-garde, eco-friendly fashion. A graduate of Trinidad and Tobago and a star of Mission Catwalk, he creates bold conceptual pieces using recycled materials, reverse dyeing, visual effects and androgynous silhouettes. His House of Argent label embodies a decolonial and committed aesthetic.
Juan Carlos Jiménez Huerta (Cuba) - Craftsmanship and resilience
Cuban designer and ceramist Juan Carlos Jiménez Huerta fuses the plastic arts with fashion. His “Intimidad ofrendada” collection, designed during the pandemic, uses a variety of artisanal techniques: textile painting, macramé, weaving and recycled ceramic accessories. A native of Matanzas, he embodies fashion rooted in Cuban resilience and handmade craftsmanship.
Love For Upcycling (Panama) - Fashion as circular activism
Founded by Panamanian designer José Alexzander, the Love For Upcycling brand-movement promotes textile upcycling through competitions, workshops and eco-responsible collections. Its credo: to recycle used clothing to raise awareness of fast fashion. Its impact extends from Panama to Miami, as part of an international community.
The Cloth (Trinidad and Tobago) - Hand-woven Caribbean soul
Robert Young, founder of The Cloth, is a leading figure in sustainable Caribbean fashion. Since 1986, he has championed fashion rooted in local culture, using natural fabrics, artisanal dyes and handmade motifs. The company advocates the longevity of clothes and their affective value. “Grown and made in the Caribbean” sums up its commitment.
Caribbean fashion between roots and renewal
Whether recycling marine waste into festive outfits, perpetuating ancestral techniques or reinventing high-tech textiles, these seven Caribbean designers share a common conviction: fashion can – and must – be sustainable. Their success on the CARIFESTA XV stage illustrates the emergence of a shared regional vision, where island cultural identity is combined with environmental responsibility.
Inspired by their roots as much as by the urgency of climate change, they propose a fashion that tells a story – that of resilient islands facing the challenges of the world. Caribbean fashion that is ethical, poetic and committed, inventing today the dress codes of tomorrow.
