BVI Designer Marks Decade at Nyfw
British Virgin Islands designer Andrea Wilson celebrates 10 years in fashion with a multi-event production in New York, culminating in her own New York Fashion Week show, I’Landed in the Big Apple. The programme also includes a tourism magazine launch, a reality series and opportunities for regional models to be noticed by agencies.
TORTOLA — British Virgin Islands designer Andrea Wilson is marking her 10th year in fashion with a multi-pronged showcase in New York that culminates this weekend at New York Fashion Week. Wilson, who launched the Islander Swimwear Collection in 2016, told The Daily News she “wanted to start my 10th year with a bang” and opted to stage her own branded show rather than taking part in a standard runway slot.
The production, billed I’Landed in the Big Apple, will feature 30 models from across the region and beyond, including the U.S. The designer said the Ocean Odyssey collection — first introduced during the 2025 BVI Summer Sizzle — will be a centrepiece of the New York presentation, with a few surprises planned.
Wilson has also launched a billboard on Broadway in Manhattan featuring model J’dya Sprauve and is showcasing several models in New York this weekend with information sent to agencies for potential signings. In addition to the runway, Wilson is debuting multiple projects tied to the anniversary.
She is releasing the I’Landed tourism magazine on Feb. 14 in New York and has staged an online contest among her models to determine the magazine’s first cover; Mia Ortiz of the U.S. Wilson also revealed a four-episode reality series, I’Landed in the Big Apple, with a segment already taped in Cane Garden Bay.
She said she is pursuing international distribution, including talks about airing the series on DS TV in Africa and earlier discussions about Netflix. For BVI residents, Wilson’s efforts underline how local fashion and cultural promotion can raise the Territory’s profile abroad. Her rise began with designing the first BVI Athletics Association uniforms in 2011 and grew through local platforms such as BVI Summer Sizzle — a launchpad that led to awards and invitations to OC Fashion Week in California (2018), Hong Kong (2019) and shows across the Caribbean.
Wilson said she plans further international expansion, including an I’Landed production in Africa later this year and a second season of the reality series as an entrance into that market. For local models, designers and tourism stakeholders, the New York push represents both exposure and an example of how BVI creative businesses can leverage cultural events to promote the Territory on the world stage.
Primary source: Virgin Islands Daily News (Website)