Ecliff Elie unleashes Timba

Timba, the music of Cuba (akin to our soca), is a fusion mix of African, Spanish and French rhythms and was something that Ecliff found himself listening to and enjoying while deciding on the direction for this next collection.

On researching further into it, he settled on the idea that his collection would have a story to tell, an area he says that many local collections fall short on.

“You must tell a story.

Someone looking at the collection as an abstract may think that there is a fractal or disjointed aspect to it. But someone coming to the show, this Tuesday, would see how it ties in and really get to understanding that we have channelled the timba music of Cuba in all its ways using those heritage influences of the France, Spain and Africa,” Elie explains.

The collection is extensive and will be one of his largest yet, carrying the wearer from as varied locations as the beach to the nightclub.

It’s eye-popping without being alarmist and conveys a millennial- bohemian chic that is difficult to capture let alone create. More than that too, as he explains, the collection draws elements of architecture from Cuba in terms of its cuts and lines and is ‘climate- appropriate’ for local men to wear.

“We have as always paid attention to the materials we design with and made sure that this is thread-count appropriate for where we live,” he adds.

Not that Ecliff Elie is limited to TT’s male market. The designer has buyers and shoppers from around the world with repeat interest coming out of locations as varied as London, New York, Paris, Belgium Switzerland and Belgium among others.

He also has locations in St Vincent and St Lucia, in addition to Arima and Port-of-Spain locally, and will in the next year focus on aggressive expansion to the Bahamas, Barbados, St Maarten and US Virgin Islands.

This success is largely due to the man behind the vision – who has stuck to the tried and true formula of working with a business plan and pushing it through with sheer hard work.

Elie has also always been a savvy businessman in addition to being the chief creator and for the last few years smartly offered two collections. The first in the earlier part of the year focuses on the ‘heavier stuff ’ as he puts it – the stuff he’s known for, such as suits and blazers.

The second one, held in October or November is intended to capture the all-inclusive fetes and events between December and Carnival, a smart position that has worked remarkably well.

Elie believes in men’s fashion and not simply having men come in for one off purchases.

He truly believes that clothing is an investment in yourself and also offers image consultancy from everybody ranging from the CEO to the student looking for their first job.

“You should not seek to simply purchase as-needed before events. You really should look to come in and we find a date that we look to launch the new ‘you’. We have a launch date that we set and during that time we will work to accommodate however it works for you. You have to see clothing as an extension of your own personal brand,” he advises.

“Men are taking more pride in the way they dress with a focus on more trendy and stylish accessories; so as an industry, men’s fashion is growing locally and internationally as well.” Tickets are limited as the show will be an intimate one, with celebrity models ranging from Kenwyne Jones to Roadie, Kes, Sunny Bling and Shurwayne Winchester, just to name a few.

Visit ecliffelie.com or the brands on Facebook and Instagram for more info and tickets.