Caribbean Holiday Gift Guide 2018

In continued support of Caribbean brands we’ve curated our annual Caribbean Holiday Gift Guide, to give you inspiration while shopping for your loved ones (or yourselves) this holiday season. With a whole new list of brands we’re encouraging you shop small, independent and #BuyCaribbean ! Also check out our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for Caribbean brands we’ve previously featured!

ACCESSORIES

84 Gem: A combination of contemporary and African inspired jewelry styles, 84Gem offers very unique pieces reminiscent to jewelry found in other countries and cultures. The designs consists of an organic mixture of natural gemstones, beads and metals. All pieces are handmade in Brooklyn and material is sourced from India, Istanbul and some parts of Africa. Each piece is created to evoke a sense of power, strength and confidence to the wearer. The designer, Kimone Young, was born in Jamaica and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Launched in 2011, 84Gem has since been worn by the likes of model Eva Marcille, The Voice’s Tessanne Chin and Miss Jamaica Yendi Phillipps.

Afrocessories:Created by naturalistas who were looking for a solution to bad hair days! Not always having the time to wrap Afrocessaries, these Trinidad & Tobago based sister team created a way to look fabulous on the go with head wraps that slip on light a hat with no wrapping needed!.

kar&Chach: A Miami-based, Jamaican-born accessories label with a distinct New York City influence. Karen Evans’ designs, primarily with leather, pay homage to all three cultures, cater to fashion mavens with, young, edgy and sophisticated style.

Osanie: a Trinidad and Tobago based company dedicated to creating quality, functional and stylish designer handbags and accessories. Each bag is designed and constructed by designer Osanie.

Willow & Oak: Launched in 2016 with its’ signature brass choker, Willow and Oak has grown into a contemporary brand Influenced by natural shapes and a strong belief of mistakes. Created by Shandelle Loregnard from Trinidad and Tobago after graduating with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Fashion Design at The Fashion Institute of Technology. Influenced by natural forms and contemporary art, the brand exudes a minimal aesthetic that makes every piece a classic and timeless staple in every wardrobe.

Wrap Queens: Is a family-owned fashion brand to create a headwrap and apparel line for the modern city woman, was born of an abiding love for fashion and a desire to advance female empowerment through sophistication. Founded by NYC based couple James and Kelly. He is a designer and photographer, and she is the innovator behind fashion and lifestyle blog IslandChic77.

APPAREL

ASD: Fashion Designer and Illustrator Ayanna Dixon’s ASD brand is a combination of her feminine illustrations and a keen eye for designs that empower women. All ASD products are made locally in Kingston, Jamaica. Our designer/illustrator creates everything with a little magic and love with her small team of Jamaican based artisans and experts

Sokanaval: Clothes made just for your carnival needs! SoKa is a womenswear that embraces femininity while romanticizing contemporary designs. She is the Modern day Dorothy Dandridge meets Rihanna. Designer of the brand, Karen De Freitas, started designing while living on the island Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Check out their popular West Indian AF collection.

Wukkout Fitness Apparel: Wukkout! is an hour-long Caribbean based dance fitness class designed by Krista Martins, to make you have fun and sweat just like you would if you were at Carnival! If you can’t make it to a class enjoy some of their Wukkout fitness apparel for a little motivation while you’re wukkin’ at the gym.

LUXURY APPAREL

CUSHNIE: a luxury women’s ready-to-wear and accessories brand designed by British-Jamaican designer Carly Cushnie. Artfully crafted with clean, sculptural lines, the CUSHNIE collection is precisely tailored to achieve the perfect fit for the female form.

Fe Noel: Fe Noel is a women’s RTW collection passionately made in New York for the multifaceted woman who embodies a love for travel and style. Designed by Felisha Noel, she credits her Grenadian heritage infusing culture, style and elegance into her pieces.

Jovana Louis Official: Jovana Louis Brand is the creation of designer Jovana Louis Benoit. Born in Haiti, Jovana started in fashion at a very young age working with some of her family members, sewing and knitting. After moving to Paris in 2010, Jovana decided to pursue a career in fashion design. Jovana Louis clothes are made to contour a woman’s body and known for their exceptional quality and attention to detail. The designs have a blend of French, Asian and Caribbean cultures.

Pyer Moss: Founded in 2013 by Kerby Jean-Raymond. Jean-Raymond describes the brand as an “art project” or “a timely social experiment” at times. Pyer Moss aims to use its voice and platform to challenge social narratives and evoke dialogue.

BEAUTY

Bent Beauty: The parent company to Hot Gyal Lashes. Bent Beauty is a one-stop shop for lashes, lips and lids (eyelids). Offering an array of lashes, lipstick and glosses and a growing collection of eye makeup.

Chloe & Chad: Chloe and Chad is an organic and natural lifestyle company creating safe and uncommon artisanal handmade goods for the whole family. A line of organic and natural soaps, balms, lotions and body butters all made to order by owner Aisha, a Brooklyn native who was born in Trinidad and Tobago.

Choiselle: Choiselle skincare is deliberately formulated to eliminate the need for harmful chemicals and synthetic fragrances that aren’t compatible with our skin’s nature. Created by Nydia Norville and inspired by her home island of St. Lucia where she watched her grandmother create hair and beauty products from her home garden. At the heart of each formula are a bounty of vitamin and nutrient-rich botanicals, oils and plant butters with intensive reparative, protective and restorative capabilities.

Immortelle Beauty: Immortelle Beauty is a Caribbean cosmetic company founded in 2010 by cosmetic chemist, Kathryn Nurse, with the aim of creating “Little Local Luxuries”. The company develops, manufactures and bottles an aspirational Caribbean lifestyle and then sells it to all women who want to feel the warmth of an authentic Caribbean experience, while empowering themselves through beauty. All products are 100% made in Trinidad & Tobago and prove that sophistication and local are not mutually exclusive concepts. In addition, Immortelle Beauty is a company that has a local mindset, but strives to cater to international standards. With our local product and our international presentation, we are truly bringing the concept of affordable local luxury to the Caribbean.

Kimberly New York: Born in St. Ann’s, Jamaica and raised in the U.S. Kimberly Walker studied people reactions to fragrances during her career as a niche fragrance sales manager, makeup artist and writer in Manhattan. Captivated by their responses she started Kimberly New York May 2016. Original, fine fragrances made from 100% organic oils and sustainable materials.

FOOD/BEVERAGE

Brooklyn Brewed Sorrel: Brooklyn Brewed Sorrel is a delightful brewed and aged beverage with an over 400-year Caribbean heritage made locally in Brooklyn and started by 1st generation Caribbean American foodie and designer Nzinga Knight.

Cas Rum Beverages: Cas Rum Beverages is a bottled rum cocktail company consisting of Belizean-style rum popo (spiked egg nog), rum punch, & rum sorrel made with love in Brooklyn. All bottles are made to order.

Sol Cacao: Sol Cacao is an artisan “bean to bar” chocolate manufacturer that crafts single origin chocolate bars in the South Bronx(Port Morris). Founded by three brothers, Dominic, Nicholas and Daniel, the Company strives to create the finest quality of chocolate by having a thorough understanding and expertise associated with every step in the chocolate manufacturing process from growing the cacao pods to the actual crafting of the chocolate bars.

Growing up in the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago, the Maloney brothers were always surrounded by cacao trees and enjoyed eating chocolate made from the trees that they had grown and picked themselves. Cacao and chocolate are staples of the Caribbean culture and an inherent part of the Maloney family livelihood. Upon arriving to the United States, the brothers realized that the same quality of chocolate that they were able to enjoy back home was highly scarce in America and decided to bring to the market a type of chocolate that elevates the taste, coupled with a level of unparalleled refinement and quality to the selections available.

Mikelah

Mikelah is a Caribbean Culture expert, curating the bridge between the Caribbean and its diaspora. A CUNY Baruch College graduate with a BBA in Marketing. With previous experience with Caribbean lifestyle brands such as VP Records, Tempo TV and JAMROCK Magazine. Currently serving as a digital marketing maven by day, while continuing to collaborate with Caribbean brands.

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