Awards of Fashion and Design “Islands of the World Fashion Week”
By STAFF WRITER, Nassau Guardian
Nole Marin, Alphadi, Susan Stein, Peter Ingwersen and Nick Verreos, have been named as judges for the Islands of the World Fashion Week (IWFW).
Marin, Alphadi and Stein will serve as judges for the selection of recipients of the awards in Sustainable Eco-Fashion, Culture & Fashion, and NextGen Designer Award (emerging designer award) at the event scheduled to be held Wednesday, Nov. 5 to Saturday, Nov. 8 at the British Colonial Hilton and the Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island.
Marin, a noted fashion stylist and television personality, served as a judge on the television reality series, America’s Next Top Model, and has contributed as a fashion expert on numerous television shows and celebrity events including the Academy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, Cannes Film Festival, VHI Fashion Awards, and the New York Fashion Week.
His clientele includes Tommy Hilfiger, Tyra Banks, Iman, Hugh Jackman, Heidi Klum, Lenny Kravitz, Alicia Keys, Kanye West, Ricky Martin, Beverley Johnson, and Chloe Sevigny. He is a coach on the MTV hit show “Made”, and serves as creative director for Canada’s Next Top Model.
Alphadi, a renowned Paris-based designer from Niger, is the founder of the International Festival of African Fashion (FIMA), held in Niger, which simultaneously promotes the themes of “Peace, Culture and Development”.
Stein has accumulated over 30 years of experience in the fashion and retail industry in the United States of America, serving as fashion and public relations director for Saks Fifth Avenue in New York and Connecticut, and director of the personal shopping department of Bloomingdales in Los Angeles. She is a lecturer at
the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles and serves as the fashion editor of Palm Springs “Life Magazine”. She is also the producer/director of Fashion Week EI Paseo in Palm Desert, California.
Nick Verreos, designer of his own line “Nikolaki”, is one of the star designers of the television reality series “Project Runway”, where he won the Barbie Challenge. He is a fashion expert on a number of shows including Bravo’s “Work Out” and TV Guide’s “The Fashion Team”. He is the official spokesperson for the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, where he also lectures. Verreos will also present his collection at Islands of the World Fashion Week as an international guest designer.
Peter Ingwersen, Danish designer of his own line “NOIR Illuminati II”, has had an illustrious career in the fashion industry, notably being the creative mind behind the Levi’s Jean brand throughout Europe. Ingwersen is at the vanguard of the eco-fashion movement. He will also be presenting his collection at Islands of the World Fashion Week as an international guest designer.
The recognition awards will be given based on the respective designer’s ability to incorporate particular aspects of eco-fashion or culture in their creations. Each presenting island-designer at Islands of the World Fashion Week must create at least one piece which meets the criteria in the corresponding categories of sustainable eco-Fashion and culture and fashion.
The NextGen Designer Award will be presented to a designer, with less than three years of experience, whose designs are considered to have outstanding international marketability. In addition to these specific awards, the judges will select five designers to receive the seal of excellence, signifying their attention to quality and detail with an international appeal.
The awards have been uniquely crafted and manufactured by Waterford Crystal of Ireland, specifically for IWFW.
Designers from the islands will present their creations for the judges during the opening reception at the Atlantis Resort on Wednesday, Nov. 5. The awards recipients will be disclosed at the closing reception on Saturday, Nov. 8.
