Creative fashion in Port-au-Prince

By Volunteer Adviser Huguette Hébert

When a group of Haitian fashion designers met for a training session, I had the privilege of leading the session entitled Haitian Fashion and Creation, that took place during the last two weeks of August 2007 in the offices of INDEPCO (Institut National pour le Développement et la Promotion de la Couture en Haïti).

The training, which focused on strategies and organizational and administrative techniques to develop a clothing line, enabled the participants to familiarize themselves with methods of estimating and controlling costs. In addition, the designers were made aware of the importance of size standardization. They were left with the tools necessary to prepare and design their collections and face mass production.

In Port-au-Prince, the entrepreneurial spirit is as highly developed among female as male designers. The designers who participated in this seminar displayed a keen interest and a tremendous dynamism. The participants realized that, in fact, each one of them was encountering the same kinds of problems.

An association of designers should develop from these encounters. INDEPCO would serve as the nucleus of this association creating a list of various resources and a purchasing group which would enable designers to deal directly with wholesalers for the purchase of their fabric and accessories overseas.

This spirit of sharing and communication is remarkable!

As several participants mentioned, financial support should be awarded to them to absorb the costs incurred by the creation of the fashion clothing line. Mr. Garoute, President of INDEPCO, has already undertaken steps to address this concern. A CESO mandate must be set up in order to help designers with marketing plans as well as sources of financing for the presentation of their collections. A grant application could then be presented to the Minister of Commerce and Industry who, incidentally, is a designer herself.

The assistance given to each of the designers to help them put the finishing touches on their collection will help them provide the Haitian population with a professional clothing line that they will have designed according to international standards of quality.

Unquestionably, Haitian designers are very creative and those who participated in the seminar will be presenting their creations to the public next December.

I am convinced that December's fashion fair will have a major impact on the reputation of fashion design in Haiti.

Huguette Hébert became a CESO Volunteer Adviser in June 2006 and has already completed three assignments, all in Haiti.