News Americas New York, NY, Tues. Sept. 18, 2012: Emerging Caribbean designer, Rashid Walker recently showcased his collection Ankara in the fashion capital of the world during Ethel Fashion’s Third Annual Caribbean Extravaganza held in Downtown Brooklyn.
Walker’s collection, which showcased an African theme, came to life on the runway through his use of authentic West African fabrics and textures as well as his use of tribal markings and body paint on his models. His vision is to bring West African Fabrics to the fore front of International Culture and Design.
Walker, who has been officially designing since November 2011, credits his Antiguan culture for inspiring his new collection. Though a newcomer to the event and the New York fashion circle, Walker made quite an impression with onlookers and the media. “In terms of presentation, his segment’s creativity was perhaps the best for the night. His male models were painted with white stripes on their cheeks and bridges of their noses. If his native country was not announced, one would think he was a West African designer because of the authenticity of his collection,” says Runway Life International writer Alicia Ramsay.
Walker who comes from a family of seamstresses, from his great-great grandmother to his sisters insists, “It’s a kind of heritage of tailoring that has lingered and flourished within each generation on both my parents’ sides of the family,” said Walker, whose first fashion debut was for the 2011 Antiguan National Independence Fashion Challenge where he created a coconut tree inspired dress made of coconut husk and wood shavings, which won him first place in the contest. Since then, Walker has travelled to and participated in Guyana Fashion Week and this October he will travel to Africa to participate in the Nigerian Fashion and Style 2012.
See more on Rashid Walker and his amazing designs at www.facebook.com/rashidwalker
