RESORT FASHION Step into

RESORT STYLE

FASHION & LIVING

With home-grown brands TrèfleHOME, NAMI & Arawak

BY KRISTIN FRAZER NAMI PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELINDA WINKLER, STYLED BY STACY FRANCE, SHOT ON LOCATION AT OIL NUT BAY RESORT, BVI TR È FLE PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAMAAL LETTSOME, EPIC PHOTOGRAPHY ARAWAK PHOTOGRAPHY BY CARIBBEAN JULES PHOTOGRAPHY

FASHION IS A trillion-dollar industry with thousands of resortstyle brands and thousands more that are coming on stream daily. The global apparel market has grown to around $1.5 trillion dollars leading into 2020, demonstrating that the demand for clothing, shoes and accessories is on the rise across the world.

While COVID-19 has impacted fashion globally, the desire to stay on trend and in style has not diminished and online sales have increased. Within our local economy, our brick and mortar stores are more important than ever, ensuring that local retail businesses thrive, and continue to contribute to our overall economy.

In our slice of paradise, we have a small taste of some of the best brands globally which are all offered right here in the BVI.

NAMI Resort & Swim

Effortless…comfortable...luxury….. those are the words that define a new space in the resort-style fashion community within the British Virgin Islands. Launched in late 2020, NAMI Resort & Swim was founded by Stacy France and offers accessories, swimwear and resort-wear that are chic and minimalistic, yet bold in solids and prints. Captivating and stylish in décor, NAMI brings a new vision to the boutique that can be matched with the finest boutiques in the world. NAMI means “waves” in Japanese and was used as the platform for the brand through their love of Japanese culture and style. Based in Road Town Tortola, the new boutique embraced fashion and style through world travel and cultural experiences.

With fashion being so diverse yet definitive, bringing their passion for style and in-depth research of what products were going to be offered was quite a journey, and the brand was born. “After living in Canada, my partner and I travelled the world and I always loved fashion so naturally, a boutique was the next step. I wanted to make the store different and I realized that so many people visit the BVI and pay thousands of dollars to enjoy our paradise while we enjoy it for free….so why not enjoy it by dressing in something luxurious” – says Stacy. BVI lovers and locals alike can enjoy a one-stop shopping experience and enjoy a fresh take on fashion from pieces from around the world. With such diversity, you can easily create your own style and headto-toe look that you will enjoy.

As you enter the store, you are captivated by its interior detail and décor. The ambience and setting of the space with its products and accessories on all white walls, and visual imagery of sand and an “in-house” beach chic scene create an international shopping experience in paradise. NAMI’s multiwear options and storytelling of each brand available are top notch with quantities that are “just enough” to every customer that enters. “I believe that the fashion industry is always changing for the different seasons, but as for swimwear and resort wear for spring and summer, it always brings back key pieces, styles and cuts which I consider timeless. Here at NAMI we offer those pieces, which are high quality, chic and timeless” – says Stacy.

This resort-style fashion boutique offers international brands that all tell their own story. These brands include: JUAN DE DIOS This Colombian brand is known for their flare, colour, prints and 2-in-1 bathing suits. This brand is also sustainable and considered an outwear brand that can be dressed up or down with jeans or trousers. It’s always great to find swimwear that you can purchase with 2-in-1 concepts and design! MONTCE This USA based brand that offers more conservative styles

ABOVE AND RIGHT NAMI offers

swim and resort wear from global brands to complete any island look.

that are girly, full of prints and simply “très chic”! You’re sure to look stunning in this sustainable brand! BFYNE Known for their bold and tribal print designs for women, this brand offers high quality African prints and swim designs that are for bold, confident and sexy women!! CHARLIE HOLIDAY Offering natural fibres in clothing and coverups like Cotton and Linen, Charlie Holiday offers pieces that are effortless in style. This line can be dressed up or down and can be worn across a variety of occasions. NAMI The NAMI brand was designed locally and offers resort style pieces that are easy to wear, comfortable and breathable with size offerings that fit most body types.

LEFT Project X, under the TrèfleHOME label, is creating custom chefs jackets in bright and breathable materials that continue to look sharp after a busy day in the kitchen. This is Gorvey A. Henry, Cake Designer, Gorvey Henry Cakes.

GUADALUPE DESIGNS This Columbian brand is known for her tunics and coupled with modern prints that speak to a wide array of women. This brand offers 100% cotton designs that look and feel good on any body type. MYRA SWIM This Australian swimwear brand offers neutral palette colours and buttery soft fabric with high cuts that are inspired by the 90’s. Celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian, Jordan Woods, Lori Harvey all wear these designs. If your fashion style caters to a more neutral and simpler palette, this can be your next favorite swim piece from NAMI. ERIKA PEÑA Designer Erica Peña is originally from Puerto Rico but currently resides in Bali and offers 100% Cotton pieces that should automatically be in your travel bag for your next staycation or vacation. Each piece fits like a dream and the earth tone colours along with the flowing movements in each dress available creates long-lasting impressions.

No outfit is complete without an accessory to compliment or match. NAMI is especially proud to have the accessory brand Mar y Sol from Madagascar. This product line offers bags and hats made from straw and raffia, with each piece being made by hand by women in Madagascar. NAMI currently offers a percentage of the proceeds from each sale that goes to Madagascar to assist the women that make each product. NAMI tells a beautiful story with each piece and brand offered through opportunities of mix and match styles that all compliment each other. NAMI is the perfect combination of showing BVILove and support to a boutique that has created an international standard of beauty in products, interior décor, style, fashion, visual art and detail to all those who enter the store. This is the life of fashion in the BVI and this is the experience that NAMI has created for you. Your one stop shop begins and ends with NAMI Resort & Swim - for effortless, comfortable and luxurious style. Contact NAMI Resort & Swim: e-mail: namibvi@gmail.com Instagram handle: @namibvi Facebook handle: @nami resort & swim

TrèfleHOME - Project X

In a world of fashion, creativity always comes alive. In the BVI, resorts, style and fashion has been an ever-growing trend with new concepts, diversity and bursts of inspiration at each turn. Birthed in 2008, Trèfle, a household BVI brand has served beautiful and timeless pieces of swimwear and resortwear over the years and has offered complimenting accessories that are both eye-catching and memorable. Their attention to detail and original print concept design throughout their various collections has impacted fashion and resort- style living in the most influential way. From subtle style and two-tone combinations to vibrant and dynamic pop of 5 or more colour-way print options are what makes each collection unique and within arm’s reach.

On a global level, fashion is everchanging and while style has a wide range of options with numerous brands and companies creating their space within the new year through this pandemic, everyone has now focused on how they can expand or rather pivot in these uncertain times. For Trèfle, one of its labels called TrèfleHOME is now entering a new market of merging Fashion with food. While the label specializes in swimwear and resortwear, Kristin and her team have created an outlet within the BVI through their vision of being a multilabelled brand that tells one story.

Fashion for Trèfle has since expanded and their style has translated to their more recent products of Chef Jackets. The concept of curating an entire experience while vacationing in paradise is at the heart of the brand. What this looks like can be through a product, service or virtual experience that the end user would enjoy. Whether you’re a guest at your favorite resort, shopping at your favorite boutique, cooking for your guests, virtually creating an experience for your clients to enjoy or simply relaxing through one of BVI’s staycation in paradise, fashion and style goes hand in hand with what the Trèfle brand offers.

Under its label TrèfleHOME, Project X offers custom chef jackets using original design concepts that each chef can wear for both public and private guests. “In my world, fashion and paradise go hand-inhand. There are no limits to what can be achieved when you love what you do” – says designer Kristin Frazer.

A chef’s profession is art with an indirect visual of style and fashion. Kristin and her team can experiment and combine fresh looks, a tailored fit and breathable materials that when combined, tell a great story. Project X ensures that each chef coat always looks sharp — even after many hours of work.

The standard white chef coat has become a lesser norm and bold but rich colors like Fuschia(Pink), Stone Washed Denim, Royal, Charcoal, Purple along with new intricate chef jacket styles have made big impressions in modern restaurants and for private chef sessions in the BVI and throughout the Caribbean. A play on minimalism but sometimes boarder lining bold beauty is where the brand’s custom chef jackets meet each client.

“Fashion is a word that stretches across all forms of life, so it was natural for me to focus on something that I specialized in during my senior days of attending the BVI High School (now

re-named Elmore Stoutt High School). If one were to ask me if I could’ve seen myself where I am today back then, I would say…..I sure can! The only thing that has changed during my experiences as a creative and path leading to my career is time. I couldn’t be more excited to extend my fashion style to those that show so much passion for their craft in the kitchen!”

Project X has an unmatched service that caters to the specific needs of each client in creating custom jackets that would spark conversations and ignite a room with its electrifying prints. No two jackets are the same and the process is swift from concept to completion. Made locally with love, we invite you to this fresh take on fashion with TrèfleHOME Project X and extend BVILove to a brand that continues to redefine fashion – Project X style!

If you’re looking to entertain guests, have virtual video chef sessions or if you are simply ready to take your cooking style to another level in fashion, TrèfleHOME under the Project X label is ready to serve. Contact Trèfle: e-mail: kfrazer@trefledesigns.com Instagram handle: @treflehomebvi

Arawak

Let’s go on a journey to a special place that features beautifully designed and hand-crafted items from around the world. For over two decades, Arawak has been the one-stop-shop, Caribbean lifestyle store for locals and visitors alike.

Each Arawak store is a true island lifestyle experience - with boutiques located in Nanny Cay, Sopers Hole and Leverick Bay, a home interiors store at Road Reef, Road Town and a brand new hybrid lifestyle store in Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda you will find a diverse array of fashion brands for ladies, kids and men plus shoes, jewelry and accessories, kids games and toys, gifts, and home interior items.

Arawak offers some of the best resort and swim brands found anywhere in the world while carefully curating looks that compliment various body types and ensuring diversity and inclusivity among the wider community. Some of these brands include: MAAJI SWIM This deluxe Colombian brand boasts on their beautiful print concepts and

ABOVE Stop by Arawak at Nanny Cay Resort & Marina, Sopers Hole West End, Spanish Town and Leverick Bay, Virgin Gorda to stock up on resort and beach wear.

colour-blocking combinations. Offering reversible suits in whimsical patterns and comfortable fabrics, its products and its socially and environmentally conscious mission makes this Colombian beachwear label unique. SEAFOLLY Born out of Australia, this luxury label offers tailored swim that cater to a wide range of women that love a great fit, comfort and style. ROXY This multi-product line started out in swimwear and was instantly a success! Now offering sportswear and other areas of apparel, Roxy is now a global lifestyle brand, offering products for every aspect of the active girl’s life. The key ingredient of Roxy products is that inimitable Roxy spirit. “Daring, confident, naturally beautiful, fun, alive: Roxy”.

Accessories are often the last thing on someone’s mind when putting an entire fashion look together, but it is crucial to the complete look and can make or break your day/night outing. Arawak has explored this category well with simple yet timeless styles from brands that you are sure to love: HAVIANAS Everyone loves a great pair of Havianas flip flops! These are simply a must have for the beach, comfortable and durable, and available in many different, funky styles and patterns for men and women. QUICKSILVER Quicksilver is the brother company to Roxy and offers a wide range of accessories and other products for men that are classic with products that ever go out of style! REEF: Offering slippers and other great accessory products is a brand that has stayed consistent with its mission and style.

Has your interest been peaked as yet? To add to the flavorful selections of fashion brands, Arawak also offers local brands and other great items that are right at your fingertips. At every location, you will find that one piece that melts your heart. Contact Arawak e-mail: admin@arawakvi.com Tel: +1 284 494 5240 Instagram Handle: @arawakbvi Facebook Handle: @arawakbvii ■