Grenada has always been the Spice Island of the Caribbean, but now it’s seasoning the global stage with something bolder: Black creative innovation. Quietly, almost defiantly, the island is becoming a hub where heritage, sustainability and unapologetic creativity meet. And at the center of this shift is Shannen-Kaylia Henry, founder of the Council on Sustainable Fashion & Design of Grenada (CSFDG). What started as her personal reconnection to her Grenadian roots has become a blueprint for how the Caribbean can move beyond tourism and into cultural and economic sovereignty.
This August, CSFDG hosted its 2nd Annual Sustainable Design Impact Hub (August 21–24, 2025), a weeklong accelerator of fashion, design and future-facing ideas. The program closed with a landmark fashion exhibition at Mount Cinnamon Wellness Resort, debuting collections crafted by Grenadian women trained through the island’s first high-fashion skills program.
That program, the Kaylia Couturier Program, backed by the Fashion Impact Fund, trained four Caribbean women in everything from precision patternmaking to branding, under the guidance of Cuban designer Alejandro Barzaga. The result: three-piece collections made from deadstock Italian silks, linens, cottons and wools, finished with Swarovski crystals donated straight from the brand’s New York headquarters. Grenada, suddenly, had its first taste of sustainable luxury couture.
The showcase wasn’t just about fashion; it was about rewriting narratives. Shannen-Kaylia herself presented alternatives to Carnival costumes, merging heritage pageantry with couture craftsmanship. Other highlights included Sailina de Bellotte’s resort wear (Cocoberry Grenada), Reann Edwards’ Bahamian swimwear line (Bahamas Mamma Swim), Simone James’ crochet work (Threaded by Siren) and Shereesa Walcott’s professional suiting for women across the islands. The diaspora was represented too, with jewelry by Ayana Benjamin (Ayana B Joy) and Dr. Janelle Harford (Zulekha Designs), proving that Grenadian creativity doesn’t stop at its shores.
“What started for me was something simple, walking into luxury hotels in Grenada and not seeing a single locally made item,” Shannen-Kaylia said. “I wanted to change that. CSFDG is now bridging heritage, skill, and global luxury standards to prove that Caribbean women can create sustainable, world-class design while preserving our identity and culture.”
Already, CSFDG has opened Grenada’s first boutique hotel stocked exclusively with local products and is partnering with Silversands Beach House on a pop-up shop. The 2025 Hub’s theme, Oceans & Essence, connected island identity to ocean health anchoring Grenada as a “Big Ocean State,” small in size but vast in influence.
Sheena Butler-Young, senior correspondent at The Business of Fashion, framed it best: “What’s happening in Grenada is significant because it shows how smaller markets, often overlooked, can become testing grounds for innovation. By connecting heritage craftsmanship with global sustainability standards, the island is demonstrating what’s possible when local talent is given visibility and infrastructure to grow.”
Grenada isn’t just exporting spice anymore. It’s exporting a model for how the Caribbean — and Black creative economies everywhere — can claim a seat at the luxury table on their own terms. Untapped. Unbothered. Unapologetic.
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