GEORGE TOWN, CAYMAN ISLANDS  – For the first time ever, a Caribbean fashion brand from the Cayman Islands, Isy B., has been selected as a finalist for Emerging Designer of the Year by US-based Phoenix Fashion Week.

Cayman-based luxury fashion brand Isy B. has been selected from a global pool of over 300 applicants to compete for the prestigious title of Emerging Designer of the Year at Phoenix Fashion Week, the leading fashion industry event in the South West USA. Cayman Islands based designer Isy Obi will compete alongside 14 other designers from the USA and as far afield as South Africa and Austria. A series of challenges over an accelerated 4-month period will see each designer’s creative talent and business acumen tested in a high-pressure ‘Designer Boot Camp’ devised to take them to the next level in their fashion careers – if they make it.

This unique competition has evolved from Phoenix Fashion Week’s commitment to supporting talented emerging designers in building sustainable brands from the ground up since 2008. Each year, the Phoenix Fashion Week team hits the road on a 10-city tour of the USA including New York, LA and Atlanta to handpick designers worthy of participating in its designer boot camp.

“I’m excited to share Isy B.’s modern island-inspired style through Phoenix Fashion Week.” said Isy. “This is the opportunity every designer dreams of for mentorship, and fast-track brand growth. However, this is no walk in the park. It’s proving to be one of the biggest challenges I have ever taken on as a designer; like Shark Tank and Project Runway rolled into one!”

“The Phoenix Fashion Week ‘Designer Boot Camp’ is proud to have international brand ISY B. among our curated 2016 line-up. I am impressed with Isy’s attention to detail, high quality design and strong work ethic, ensuring success for this brand,” said Brian Hill, Executive Director of Phoenix Fashion Week.

The competition was launched with a catwalk challenge, with former Miss Arizona, Maureen Montagne, introducing an Isy B. gown. The competition will culminate in a final runway presentation, October 2016 at Talking Stick Resort in Arizona, where all designers are tasked with unveiling a final collection in front of an audience of over 6,000, with one designer becoming the Emerging Designer of 2016 and walking away with a game-changing $10,000 prize package.

About Isy B.

Isy B. is the luxury fashion brand from the Cayman Islands bringing comfort and functionality to fashion by fusing innovative fabric technology with a high fashion aesthetic in its modern dress collections. Isy B.’s philosophy is that luxury must be comfortable, and its mission is to design beautiful dresses for women who want to feel as good as they look. Inspired by travel, Isy B. is global style re-imagined for the wardrobe of the modern jet setter, effortless and versatile enough to travel anywhere.

 About Phoenix Fashion Week

Phoenix Fashion Week is the leading fashion industry event in the Southwest.  Our core purpose is to build sustainable brands from the ground up while pushing the Arizona fashion industry forward. The organization’s mission is ‘Bridging Designers & Buyers’ through three pillars of fashion, education, and community. Through educational fashion seminars, year-round fashion events and charitable partnerships, Phoenix Fashion Week continues to gain rapid acclaim for its community service efforts and for infusing world-class innovation into the Southwest.