‘Whispers of the Windrush’ ABritish-Jamaicanlegacy

Fashion stylist Charmaine McKoy traces the history of Jamaican fashion and its impact on the world

IWAS 10 when my parents announced we were moving to Jamaica to live with my grandparents.

I remember feeling shellshocked and apprehensive about the impending move.

Growing up in South London, I was accustomed to the hustle and bustle of Brixton market on a Saturday morning, holding my aunt’s hand whilst she selected a new weave in the various hair shops that lined the high street, but nothing could prepare me for my new home.

It was in the parish of St Thomas where my cultural awakening began. Spawning musical talent from Popcaan, Tarrus Riley, Morgan Heritage, ‘the original Don Dada’ Louie Rankin, to sports star Carrie Russell and former Miss World Toni-Ann Singh, St Thomas, despite its phenomenal talent, is often perceived as a backwater.

Nevertheless, from it has emerged some of the most significant figures in history including freedom fighter Nanny of the Maroons and Paul Bogle, whose statue still stands proudly in the centre of Morant Bay town square.’

Jamaica is known for its delicious food, sandy beaches and tropical sun and its most famous export, reggae music. Indeed, Jamaican music has long been synonymous with fashion.

One of the most innovative cities in the world, modern-day Kingston hosts many dancehall parties where men show off their ‘crepes’ and pride themselves on displaying their Clarks shoes.

Tracing back in time to the late 1940s, fashion was a source of pride for the first wave of Jamaican immigrants who landed on English shores in 1948.

Jamaicans turned out in their best clothes to board the boat.

Women dressed conservatively in blouses and long skirts and men wore zoot-style suits with the popular trilby or fedora cap. The church has always been a fundamental aspect of life for many Jamaicans. Music, fashion and the church are inextricably linked in Jamaica. Hats were an important accessory for female churchgoers, and this has influenced my styling.

I also love working with vibrant colours, but I also like the simplicity of black clothing as it highlights the cut and fit of tailoring and avantgarde pieces.

I am passionate about clothes telling the story of who we are, where we come from and who we aspire to be. I enjoy working with clients to find out what makes them shine, how clothes make them feel and what clothing helps them to put their best foot forward and accomplish their life goals.

The act of dressing is a ritual we all follow daily and yet our unique style of dressing is deeply personal. Indeed, rituals would form a large part of the Jamaican experience in Britain. Having put down roots in England, the living room became a place of joy for most Jamaican families and provided a comforting link to back home. They were characterised by doilies, ornaments, portraits of Jesus, artificial flowers and floral carpet. To this day, my grandmother has the same style living room and it inspired me to create the editorial

The Whispers of the Windrush

Playing dominoes, enjoying a glass of rum, and preparing your Sunday best alongside your Bible were all treasured Jamaican pastimes which models Stanley McCauley and Sylvia Johnson depict beautifully in these images.

Decades after the first wave of migrants, Jamaicans were blending a British clothing aesthetic with their Jamaican culture. I highlighted this by styling the models using popular flared trousers and wool vests accompanied with berets, hallmarks of Jamaican fashion.

I turned to British designers of Jamaican heritage, sourcing pieces from Grace Wales Bonner and Taneshe Oliver-Lodge, whose dress featuring a passport imprint with the words ‘ Immigration Department, September 1954’ is a superb creation, lest we never forget the dev- astating Windrush scandal of 2018 in which many British citizens of Jamaican heritage had their passports confiscated and were illegally deported back to Jamaica.

Such is the ongoing allure of Jamaican culture, in 2018 Levi’s produced a Jamaican ‘Rockers’ collection and, this year alone, Adidas and Wales Bonner designed the Jamaican Football Federation kit and Clarks has produced special edition Jamaican wallabies.

In the words of its national anthem, it is fitting that we proclaim ‘Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica land we love.’

With special thanks to Sandra Bynoe and Janine Simpson at the Windrush Generation Legacy Association for allowing us to create this editorial in their museum in The Whitgift Centre, 1036-1037,Croydon.