Lois Samuels brings The Vessel home

Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW) may spawn a number of other initiatives for 2019, but its main focus is on Resort Fashion Week, geared towards giving local and international designers an opportunity to tap into the Caribbean's lucrative tourism industry. One of the designers whose collections is to be featured is double Vogue cover girl Lois Samuels.

Samuels, who began her career in the fashion industry as a model at 14 years old, started her designing company, The Vessel, in 2009. The first runway her collection was presented on was CFW in the same year. Since then, she has been invited to show her collections in New York, in countries in Africa, across the Caribbean and in Central America. "I am really hoping that this Caribbean Fashion Resort will take it to another level," Samuels said.

She was born in St Elizabeth and attended Hampton High School in the same parish. She was discovered by Pulse's Kinsley Cooper when she was a student. "Modelling was incredible; it schooled me," Samuels said. It has taken her to Milan in Italy, New York in the USA, Japan, and other parts of the world. Yet, Samuels said she is always coming home. "There is something magical. I feel that I have been away for so many years, and I really want to do something for home. Jamaica has inspired me in everything," she said. Her collection, The Vessel, illustrates that Jamaican influence. One of the fabrics used is that of her prep school's uniform.

"I am inspired by minimalist pieces, zip line and structure, and the uniform. I feel like when we get older, we forget such past. The collection is about being a free spirit, and that's what I want to show for the entire collections", Samuels said. "It is ageless. To me, your shape should not be an issue to any of the pieces that I made."

Interestingly, Samuels said she wears the same things over and over again. "I think if something works for you, just wear it," she said.