I have met many retailers from Trinidad and Tobago at my wholesale New York warehouse, but little did I know that this Caribbean country had such a local fashionable clothes market.

Trinidad fashion is one of the most well known fashion industries to blossom in the Caribbean. It has been flourishing for many years providing the masses and the elite with colorful, vibrant designs that will keep clientele coming back regularly for more. Heather Jones, and Meiling are some of the most popular names in the Trinidad clothing market. Heather Jones is the owner of HJD Ltd and has been a fashion designer for more than 30 years.

Under Fitz Blackman’s tutelage, Heather Jones learned garment construction. Heather Jones is not a one trick pony, she designs ladies fashion, has an office and uniform line, and of course she designs beautiful wedding gowns. Heather’s style is not about just how a woman looks; it’s also about how a woman feels. Her designs’ clothing and patterns are developed in house in Trinidad. Trinidad rhythm, passion, and the Caribbean are all fused to provide inspiration for Heather Jones’s designs.

Often times you can see nature within her designs whether it be waterfalls, the Caribbean flora like orchids and hibiscus. Painting, batik, and tie dye are also used by Heather to create her fresh and clean styles. Heather’s designs evoke tropical nights in the Caribbean, cool days, and the waters that soothes her Caribbean home. During 2009, Heather Jones won the National Awards of Trinidad and Tobago Chaconia Gold Medal because of all of her contributions to fashion. In 2008, she won Best Trinidad and Tobago Designer Award. She also won Woman of Great Esteem Award in 2005. It was awarded by New York’s Woman of Great Esteem Foundation.

Meiling, the other most notable Trinidad fashion designer studied at the Lucie Clayton School of Design in London in the 70s. Once Meiling returned to Trinidad after years abroad learning how to design clothes, she decided to open a studio in the garage she had renovated. It did not take long for the Meiling design to appear on the runway shows with their immaculate lines and minimalistic styles. Meiling is famous for her use of the finest linens and fabrics that are made naturally. Often times Meiling combines her fine linens and natural fabrics with impeccable craftsmanship and viola, she has just created a fashion masterpiece.

Meiling devotes her time carefully to the details of the couture pieces she creates and this watchful eye and intricate handiwork is ever present in all of her pieces whether it be a simple little black dress, a collared white shirt, or that extraordinary fit for a princess wedding dress. When you see a Meiling design, you will know it is a Meiling because of its precise stitching, classic cut, and unmistakable Meiling silhouette. Meiling’s designs materialize themselves as white tunics, a scoop neck, long sleeves, wooden buttons on an applique strip, and sometimes they appear as vests appliqued with flowers. Meiling’s designs come in a variety of ways sometimes they are white dresses that evoke feminine aesthetics or a long black dramatic gown with a splash of color. Her designs may resurrect themselves in many forms, but one thing is for sure, a Meiling design is impeccable.

With Heather Jones and Meiling leading the Trinidad fashion industry, one thing is for certain Trinidad fashion will captivate the hearts and minds of the classy, stylish, and elegant women. With its Caribbean inspired colors and designs or elegantly dramatic Meiling lines Trinidad fashion has burgeoned into an industry that will be making its way to the closets of the mainstream and the famous. With the masses now armed with social media at their fingertips many will discover the beauty and the passion that lies in the heart of the Trinidad fashion industry.