Uruguayan fashion is small in scale but rich in raw materials. Merino wool and cattle leather shape much of what local brands make. Manos del Uruguay has turned rural women’s knitting into a global export since 1968. Lolita began in…
Slovak fashion has deep industrial roots that most shoppers never notice. Slovenka started knitting in Martin in 1921, and BaĆ„a set up the Tatrasvit hosiery works in Svit in 1934. Jan Nehera then founded the company behind Ozeta in 1939….
Israeli fashion grew out of necessity long before it chased trends. ATA dressed kibbutz workers in sturdy khaki from 1934, and Naot began making work boots on a Galilee kibbutz in 1942. Lea Gottlieb then turned a raincoat business into…
Trinidad and Tobago has a fashion scene shaped by Carnival more than by any fashion week. Every year, designers create costumes, “Monday wear” and resort pieces for the biggest street festival in the Caribbean. That seasonal rhythm gives local labels…
Haiti’s fashion scene lives in two places at once. Port-au-Prince has workshops that hand-paint fabric, cut leather and turn old tires into sandals. Meanwhile, some of the best-known Haitian names design from Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Boston and even Rome. The island’s…
The Dominican Republic has around eleven million residents and one of the largest diasporas in New York. That link shapes its fashion more than anything else. Some of the best-known Dominican labels are run from Manhattan or Brooklyn, while Santo…
Puerto Rico has around three million residents, yet more Puerto Ricans now live on the US mainland than on the island itself. That split runs through its fashion scene. Designers train in New York or Milan, come home, and build…
Wales built much of its clothing history on wool. Small mills once lined its valleys, weaving the double cloth that still appears in Welsh tapestry blankets. Later, the town of Cardigan ran Britain’s biggest jeans factory, until production moved abroad…
Venezuela built its fashion reputation on beauty pageants and couture evening gowns. Then the economic crisis pushed more than six million people abroad. As a result, many of the country’s best-known designers now work from New York, Miami, Paris or…
Jamaica has a population of under three million people and a diaspora of roughly the same size. That split shapes its fashion industry more than anything else. Some of the most talked-about Jamaican labels operate from London or Brooklyn, while…