Artisan's Directory
Isy B
Designer Isy Obi is the founder of Isy B., the award-winning fashion brand from the Cayman Islands. Her aesthetic is rooted in design that tells a story through a considered exploration of harmony, simplicity and balance of form, through which she strives to visually engage and connect with the wearer. Isy B. was recently named one of the Caribbean brands to watch by the Caribbean Journal and since its launch in 2015 her company has garnered a remarkable string of successes locally and internationally. Isy B. was awarded the title of Lifestyle Designer of the Year at Phoenix Fashion Week in the USA in 2016, and in 2017 she successfully launched a capsule collection for Evine, the third-largest home-shopping network in the USA. Her designs have also featured on the Macy’s website in the USA and on red carpets across the world from the Grammys to Cayman Film Festival. In 2017 she was proud to be selected to represent the Cayman Islands at Carifesta in Barbados and in 2018 her work was shown in the exhibition Art of Fashion at the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands and in Island of Women – Life at Home during our Maritime Years at NGCI in 2020. She was awarded a Bronze Star for Creativity by the Cayman Islands Cultural Foundation in 2019.
Q & A
When did you start creating your art and what are your preferred materials?
I started my Cayman fashion collections in 2015. My preferred materials and techniques change depending on what I am feeling inspired by. At the moment, I am loving working with leather and gemstones.
What inspires you to create your pieces?
I love to travel and explore the world, and I bring back inspiration from my experiences and combine them with my Cayman sense of colour, a love of simplicity and the natural world.
What do you think are the most important and unique characteristics of the pieces/products you create?
I express my love for beauty in everything I create and hope it resonates with the wearer. In working with agates, I want to celebrate our beauty and uniqueness as individuals. Agates are designed by nature to be completely unique, and this means that every Isy B. piece is special and completely unique to the person who wears it.
What do you expect for your creative future?
Happily, living in Cayman means there is no shortage of inspiration because I'm surrounded by beauty and so I'm always working on creating new collections.
