Miss Jamaica Universe goes to Uzuri International

Garfene Grandison, Assistant Lifestyle Coordinator

The Miss Universe Jamaica franchise is now in new hands! Uzuri International was recently named as the new franchise owners of the popular pageant, heralding a new beginning for the Miss Universe Jamaica pageant.

In a recent interview with Today, National Director Karl Williams tells us: "Now that we own the Miss Universe Jamaica franchise, it means that a lot of hard work will be invested in aligning the local brand with its international counterpart. It also means that we have an opportunity to make a more meaningful contribution to the pageant landscape to change some of the negative stereotypes associated with the local competition."

The designer says that it was all about timing for them but that they had always been interested in the popular pageant. "We have been very interested in undertaking the task over the years since we produced the show in 2003, and the Miss Universe organisation knew of our interest. They recently contacted us to verify if we were still interested, and of course, we said yes, as we felt we were more ready this time," he ended.

In addition to securing the usual partnerships to effectively execute the Miss Universe Jamaica pageant, Uzuri International also plans to develop, expose, and partner with young and emerging fashion designers and costume designers and entertainment talent to showcase these talents as an integral component of the pageant. Most important, however, Uzuri International will place very strong emphasis on providing the contestants with key skills to equip them for the demands of today's challenging corporate environment, extending the benefits to the contestants beyond the immediate competition.

In a recent release to The Gleaner, Williams said, "We are ecstatic that the Miss Universe Organisation has shown the confidence in our ability to effectively represent their brand in Jamaica and that they share our vision for the direction of Miss Universe Jamaica, which is quite a big deal, not to mention, a major step in the Uzuri International career portfolio! We are fully cognisant of the tremendous duties and responsibilities that come with this and we are honoured that we are given this additional platform to serve Brand Jamaica. Needless to say, we are extremely excited, rearing and ready to go and fully committed to the related tasks that lie ahead!"

And what of the 2013 staging of the local pageant? According to Williams, "As we have just signed the contract, we are in the process of setting up the requisite social media platforms, a website, and other related infrastructure, but we have not yet reached the stage of choosing a representative for this year's international competition."

Over the years, the designing duo of many Miss Jamaica World and Miss Universe Jamaica gowns has represented the country with wardrobes resplendent with pieces from Uzuri International.