History of Reggae To Wear

Reggae-to-Wear is a line of tropical sun wear and beach wear consisting of men’s shirts and women’s and girl’s dresses, skirts, sarongs and scarves. During travels to the beautiful country of Bali in the early 1990’s, owner Vanessa Taylor fell in love with their impressive art of batik fabric-making and became inspired to make her own line of cool batik clothing. Already in the business of creating fashion, Ms. Taylor had won the coveted Haines t-shirt contract, the first ever to be awarded to an offshore manufacturer. Within a few years she realized her dream and embarked on a business adventure that brought batik masters to Jamaica.

Because she felt there was no clothing line that truly sung of Jamaica, Ms. Taylor named her original clothing brand Reggae-to-Wear in honor of the irrepressible reggae music of her home country. In the beginning Reggae-to-Wear employed specialist to craft her bright carnival-colored cotton fabric, which was then crafted into garments by local Jamaicans, from the convenience of their own home. This cottage industry model not only allowed for employee flexibility and allowed them more control over the money they earned, but also lessened the environmental impact of manufacturing Reggae-to-Wear’s creations. Thus production was sustainable and contributed to the natural health of the earth.