press releases

By Travis Cartwright-Carroll
IWFW PRESS

Nassau, Bahamas -- If you were in the audience on the final night of Islands of The World Fashion Week, you may have seen the runway lit a fire as models took to the stage in gorgeous swimsuits, courtesy of ICandy Swimwear by Margo Gagatek.

Talk about sizzling, IWFW mimicked a frying pan as things got hot with those gorgeous swimsuits. Cheers and chants were heard almost immediately as the first bikini hit the catwalk.

The vibe was heavy and the models wore gorgeous pieces of laced up bikinis. Gagatek, who was all smiles had a massive following in the audience that night.

“Color and fit are important elements to incorporate into designs.” Says Gagatek, but we all knew this when we saw the final swimsuit hit the runway.

But what constitutes good swimwear and bad swimwear? Is it color related or fabric related? Or does it have something to do with the person who’s wearing the swimsuit? Whatever it is, ICandy had some pretty fiery pieces. I mean so fiery there were fire men on board. As the stage sizzled and the models danced, the audience stayed abreast to every tactful turn, every movement they saw.

There were 15 swimsuits, 13 of which were bikinis and two-piece styles. Most of the swimwear was very colorful whilst others drew heavily from the Bahamian flag.

“I really love the Bahamian flag because I think it has beautiful colors and black blue and yellow look amazing on a woman,” she said. And that they did.

The audience did not miss a beat of this brief, yet exciting collection and how could they; fire was burning on the runway. With such sensual designs and a seemingly popular Bahamian fan base, how could Gagatek lose?

Gagatek, who’s ICandy was nominated for the Culture and Fashion Award hails from Poland but has lived in The Bahamas for the last fifteen years. She says that ICandy will have another collection out in two months. Her mission is “to design clothes that accentuate a person’s attributes in an elegant manner.” This was her first appearance at IWFW and her first collection and Gagatek claims she can’t wait until next year.


Perhaps what made Gagatek stand out was her use of Bahamian themes, colors and inspiration. She said she was highly inspired by the Bahamian flag and by the Bahamian people. Whilst I Candy is a relatively new brand for her, it seems like she’s been doing it for ages. Her professional craftsmen ship and business approach had many very proud to call themselves Bahamian.

In a time where Bahamians are seeking their identity in a sea of diverse cultures, individuals like Gagatek remind us that we only need to look at where we came from to see where we are going.

As the fireworks lit the sky last night to draw an end to IWFW the crowd looked on in awe, amazed that such an event could take place on their shores. IWFW will continually make waves throughout the fashion industry and hopefully you’ll be a part of it next year.