Creolized Patternmaking: A Jamaican Perspective

The traditional technique of patternmaking is evident in the history of Jamaican dress and fashion industry, however it is the Jamaican ‘freehand patternmaking’ technique that is unique to this space. During periods of great social and economic hardship the Jamaican people are known to “tek dem hand and mek fashion.” This describes the ability of the Jamaican woman and man to use whatever is available to them to create something that is valuable to their daily existence. Using archival materials and oral histories this chapter will show that the techniques employed are unique to Jamaican creolized patternmaking. It will provide a detailed analysis of Jamaican patternmaking and consider how patternmaking techniques have been utilized throughout Jamaican dress and fashion history.