Los diseños y colecciones de Claudia Pegus son famosos en todo el Caribe, Europa, Estados Unidos y Canadá. Pero ella no quiso darse a conocer en el fastuoso desfile “Venezuela Diseña “- en el que fue distinguida como Invitada Especial - con su colección de Alta Costura como la prensa especializada y el público en general esperaban. De los siete modelos que presentó, cinco fueron los de Hemp de su resort colection; y los otros dos de su formal wear. Ni siquiera sus trajes tipo coctel fueron vistos en la ciudad de Caracas, y mucho menos sus creaciones de lujo y sus emblemáticos vestidos de novia.

Existe una gran pureza y claridad en las líneas casuales, como el Caribe mismo, en esta colección que sin obviar por un segundo lo sutilmente sofisticado de la línea de los trajes de playa que su creación ha impuesto. Y es que así lo exigen sus clientas, muchas de ellas mujeres exitosas y prosperas de la región, o esposas de primeros ministros, presidentes de empresas importantes, o figuras de relevancia en el mundo social del Caribe, América Latina, Estados Unidos y Europa. Ellas tienen que estar impecables hasta al lado de la piscina, o en un coctel a orillas del mar.

Abordando el diseño como una estrategia global y captando la importancia de forjar alianzas entre los diseñadores regionales y e internacionales, la gran relacionista que es la Pegus enseguida hizo numerosas relaciones y estaba como “pez en el agua”, quedando prendada de los trajes y la soltura del medio de la moda venezolana, y en especial con las joyas del orfebre venezolano Eleazar Molina. Con el compartió honores en el escenario, siendo que las modelos fueron adornadas con las creaciones de este artista de reconocida trayectoria. Juntos salieron a recibir la ovación del público: ella portando una banderilla de Venezuela y él, la de Trinidad y Tobago.

He aquí otras creaciones:                                     Haga click en las fotos para agrandar

“Es ese melange tan bien llevado lo que hace su moda tan cautivadora y lo que le asegura el éxito entre los latinos”, -dice entusiasmada Indiana Monteverde, representante de la Oficina de turismo de Trinidad y Tobago para el mundo hispanoparlante y Brasil. Fiel seguidora de las colecciones de Pegus y de otros diseñadores trinitarios, Indiana si estaba trajeada por una creación de seda dorada tipo formal wear de la diseñadora. Y continúa: “Sus líneas para la mujer son completamente femeninas en todos los niveles, de lo casual a lo elegante, del estilo cálido del Caribe a lo elegante y de gran clase. Estamos seguros de que este es tan solo el comienzo de un intercambio entre los diseñadores de Venezuela y las bellas y únicas islas de Trinidad y Tobago, que nuestra oficina se honra en patrocinar. Por otra parte Venezuela es la puerta de entrada a Latinoamérica y con el apoyo de medios tan reconocidos como Fashion TV y la Revista Fucsia, muy pronto estas islas hermanas estarán bien ubicadas en el mapa de la moda en la sub región”, declaró.

*The talent and vision of Claudia Pegus have long transcended the confines of the sister islands of Trinidad and Tobago, her country of birth and the location of her Warren Street, Port of Spain atelier. She is one of the leading Caribbean designers who have taken their work throughout the chain of islands, bursting into the markets of the United States, Canada and Europe.

Ever since her emergence on the fashion scene 20 years ago, Claudia has been secretly taking Europe by storm as the darling of the underground couture set, and has built herself a steady international following for her particular style of sumptuously sexy, decorative, feminine wear, designed and manufactured entirely in the Caribbean. Her international expansion was recognised in 2004 when Claudia Pegus Designs Limited was declared the Top Female Owned/Managed Export Company at the Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister’s Exporter of the Year Award.

A true professional, Claudia pampers her clients with warm, meticulous attention and designs for males and females, whatever their personal style, be it trendy, daring, classic or simply sleek. Her designs are romantic, fluid, timeless, and move seamlessly and effortlessly through regions and seasons capturing the essence of today’s look but with a touch of nostalgia.

It is typical for her to quickly pack her bags and travel to the corners of the world where her clients demand personalised attention, believing that only her fingers and talent are capable of creating the exact look they want. And that may be the real strength of this Caribbean Couturier giving her clients that “certain look” that traverses cultures, geography, age, and race.

Now Claudia is ready to encounter new markets. Whereas her designs have previously been available only to a select few, she is now offering her talent to the glamorous world of Latin American fashion.

“I have had a great desire to present my creations in Caracas, Sao Paulo, Bogotá, Lima, Buenos Aires, and other capitals in South America because of the response to my work by the Latin Press at Fashion Week of The Americas, held annually in Miami.”

The novelty of her 2006 resort collection is the use of Hemp, a natural fibre made of Cannabis Sativa, which is harvested specifically for industrial use and contains very low levels of cannabinoids (THC). The use of hemp in the textile craft dates back many thousands of years. From it come paper, textiles, building materials, food, medicine, paint, detergent, varnish, oil, ink, and fuel.

Claudia chose the fabric for her resort wear collection since the natural fibre is very cool to wear and wrinkles with ease and elegance. “My clients love it, as it is a fresher look for day to afternoon wear. This collection is dedicated to the mixture of Hemp with silks, organza, laces with embellishments of beads, braids and stones,” she explained.

Claudia’s clients will still experience the high fashion pieces to which they are so accustomed. There is purity and clarity in the lines. The freshness and softness of the cuts combine seamlessly with the flat shines of the silks and the textures of the wonderful cloths that she stores in her warm and welcoming Atelier.

Pegus was taught by a great aunt, a grand dame of fashion, who rapped her knuckles when a cut or stitch went awry. But it was in Spain in the early 80s, and in Germany in the 90s (when she opened her atelier in Cologne) that her skills truly flourished and her Caribbean flair encountered European sophistication.

With her limitless talent, Claudia has been able to fuse the art and creativity essential in fashion design, with the business acumen required to succeed in this industry. She approaches design as a global business strategy, capturing the importance of forging alliances among regional and international designers, whilst keeping conventional couture in mind.

Claudia is the first “trini” designer to explore the South American market. And she will succeed, as her designs have been directed at celebrating the pride and beauty of the Caribbean and Latin American cultures. “It is precisely because she does this so well that her fashion is captivating and assured of success among Latinos”- says Indiana Monteverde, representative in Latin America and Brazil of the Trinidad and Tobago’s Tourism Board. Indiana is a faithful follower of the collections of Pegus and other Trinidadian designers, as she buys one or two pieces of clothes every time she travels to Trinidad and Tobago. She continues: “Her lines for the woman are wholly feminine at all levels, from the casual to the elegant, from the Caribbean warmth to the Alta Costura. Due to her amazing ability to innovate, Claudia can create and execute any transformation -a new personality, a different look, the image that you dream of.”

“The facts of fashion will always be that styles morph, fads flare up and out, and trends become part of the main stream or the ether, but Pegus’ designs recognise another dimension: that true style mixes old with new, current with vintage and outrageous sex appeal with timeless classic. It is an honour for us to have Claudia participating in this important event, and we expect that this is just the beginning of an exchange in this niche market between Venezuela and the beautiful and unique islands of Trinidad and Tobago.”