In October, one of the Caribbean’s most renowned fashion designers, Meiling Esau, showcased her latest collection at Portugal Fashion Week, in the city of Porto, Portugal. Battimamzelle, the name of the collection on display, was created as a PAPAIŸO x Meiling collaboration. Meiling is Esau’s namesake luxury Caribbean fashion brand.
Portugal Fashion Week celebrated 50 years of fashion with 30 designers showing their Spring/Summer collections live on the runway. Of the designers presenting, nine hailed from Africa and Esau was the only Caribbean designer.
Esau has dedicated her career to bringing a Caribbean perspective to the global fashion industry, as well mentoring emerging designers. With a meticulous eye and impeccable taste, Esau uses a mixture of texture and organic fabrics, along with her signature hand-stitched details, to bring her pieces to life. The daughter of one of Trinidad and Tobago’s most renowned seamstresses of her time, Esau infuses time-honored, artisanal techniques in everything she creates at Meiling. Her work beautifully represent the rich legacy of artisanal craftsmanship in the Caribbean.
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PAPAIŸO is a California-based brand strategy, technology, and logistics solutions company, created to build the Caribbean luxury market. The company represents luxury clients in eight Caribbean islands, including Trinidad, Colombia, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, and has secured some of the region’s most iconic brands. PAPAIŸO was founded by Trinidadian-American, Micha Alleyne.
The Battimamzelle collection combines PAPAIŸO’s design sensibilities, color stories and love of visual storytelling, with Meiling’s impeccable eye and mastery of the Caribbean’s handcraft tradition. The word battimamzelle is an endearing Trinidadian word for dragonfly – an animal which symbolizes change, transformation, adaptability, and self-realization.
The collection stands out for its statement dresses and dainty tops that feature delicate ruffles, intricate heirloom finishes and hand sewn crochets to mimic the netted wings of the battimamzelle.
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