Three years ago, Freeport wasn’t thinking about hemlines or haute silhouettes. It was thinking about survival.
In the wake of Hurricane Dorian, Grand Bahama felt paused emotionally, economically, spiritually. Homes were gone. Businesses were rebuilding. And long after the debris was cleared, the heaviness remained. “It all happened after Dorian,” says Chair Fatima-Zahra Kaboub. “Four years later, people were still very upset… beaten up by the idea of having to start building their lives from scratch.”
Freeport Fashion Week did not emerge from glamour. It emerged from that weight.
It was a quiet but powerful declaration: We’re still here.
Not invisible. Not defeated. But determined to return and return better.
The spark came when Kaboub attended the first edition of Rip the Runway and witnessed something unexpected: world-class creativity thriving in Freeport. Sculptural gowns. Fearless themes. Talent that demanded a stage. After meeting founder Tanisha Pyfrom, the vision expanded beyond a single show.
Pyfrom’s journey with fashion feels almost cinematic. In 2001, she was discovered at Nassau International Airport by Susan Taylor, founder of Essence Magazine, and invited to model. She declined, a decision that lingered for years. Fashion once knocked on her door, and she didn’t answer. So years later, she built her own.
Rip the Runway, now in its fourth year, became that door. And from it, Freeport Fashion Week was born.
Today, FWF stands as one of the most anticipated events on Freeport’s social calendar. Designers, makeup artists, hair stylists, nail technicians, boutique owners, the entire creative ecosystem moves in sync. Themes challenge creators to use plastic, paper, and unconventional textures, pushing them beyond “pretty” into powerful. “It’s not enough to make lovely clothes,” Kaboub says. “It has to be amazing.”
And the impact extends beyond the runway. This year, $10,000 from last year’s ticket sales was donated to Grand Bahama high schools (with the support of the Grand Bahama Port Authority) to launch sewing programs nurturing the designers of tomorrow.
Three years in, the vision remains clear: creativity as comeback. And as March 20th approaches, anticipation is building for what promises to be another bold, art-forward celebration of Freeport’s undeniable creative spirit.
