Caribbean Export 2021 Annual Report FINAL

In May 2021 the Agency hosted a virtual pop-up shop on the Caribbean Fashion Showroom Instagram page. Nine leading fashion designers from CARIFORUM countries presented their collections to visitors.

Caribbean Export also supported the Port of Spain Fashion Week in Trinidad and Tobago in November 2021, which had a regional component and led to the production of 25 “Look Books” to assist the marketing and promotion of participating designers. In addition, the Agency supported three quick guides for MSMEs in the fashion industry covering topics including: the business plan; pivoting to thrive through the pandemic; marketing tips and tricks for MSMEs; and access to financing and grant opportunities.

Chacabana Fashion The Chacabana is an iconic piece of clothing that is associated with Latin American and Caribbean people. The distinctive traditional apparel piece has been reinvented by a new generation of tailors and dressmakers in the Caribbean. Caribbean Export in collaboration with the TradeCom II Programme supported the development of industry through providing assistance to the Dominican Association of Chacabanas Manufacturers (ACHADOM) financed by the ACP-EU project REG/FED/24728. The project aimed to enhance the industry’s competitiveness through the digitalisation of ACHADOM with the development of a commercial platform. As part of the project an assessment was made of the potential of the digital economy available for the exporting sector and how it’s development could impact growth and create employment in the Dominican Republic. Further, a three-year marketing and commercial strategy was developed for ACHADOM that focused on the adoption of a strong collective brand ‘Chacabanas Dominicanas’; strategic alliances with public and private institutions for the inclusion of the garment as ‘Marca País’ (country brand); and the use of different promotional channels for niche markets. Central to the project was the development of an e-commerce platform that enables export-ready members of ACHADOM to reach a wider global audience. The platform was launched on September 16, 2021 and includes 4 chacabana designers from the Dominican Republic.

Annual Results Report - 2021 | Building Business, Transforming Lives for a Resilient Caribbean 41