Brizan Contributes to De Gruyter Handbook of Fashion Marketing

by JBDG | VALSAYN, Trinidad and Tobago | 1 June 2026

 

Today marks the official publication date of the De Gruyter Handbook of Fashion Marketing (2026 DeGruyter Brill).

Edited by Olga Mitterfellner, the handbook offers a truly multipolar and balanced overview of fashion marketing, covering a field of opportunities and tensions across global markets, generation studies, culture and subculture, luxury, ultrafast fashion, celebrity marketing, digital progress, ownership, law, and many more. The publication is divided into four curated sections that broadly cover fashion marketing from the angles of sociology, diversity and inclusion, luxury studies, and digital technologies.

“I am truly honoured to be a part of this groundbreaking work that has set a new precedent for research, education and marketing in the global fashion industry”, said Jessel Brizan, founder of Jessel Brizan Design Group.

Brizan contributed Chapter 8: ‘Caribbean Fashion Marketing: Defining Caribbean Fashion’, which includes primary research encompassing case studies, surveys and content analysis of various designers, online platforms and influencers.

The chapter examines the evolution, cultural foundations, and marketing dynamics of Caribbean fashion within local, regional, and global contexts. It positions Caribbean fashion within its complex historical legacies of colonization, slavery, indentureship, and migration, tracing how these forces forged a distinct sartorial identity rooted in cultural hybridity.

It argues that Caribbean fashion embodies a vibrant synthesis of African, European, Asian, and Indigenous aesthetics, which has profoundly influenced the global fashion industry. Through theoretical lenses such as material culture, symbolic interactionism, and cultural capital, it explores how fashion functions as a medium of cultural expression, identity construction, and resistance.

Meiling Esau

Meiling 2025 Resortwear Collection ‘Unfurled’

The analysis highlights how diaspora designers—such as Grace Wales Bonner, Martine Rose, and Nicholas Daley—leverage Caribbean heritage to achieve international acclaim, employing strategies of storytelling, authenticity, collaboration, and cultural sensitivity. It further evaluates regional marketing practices, including digital media, influencer engagement, fashion events, tourism, and government-led initiatives to promote Caribbean fashion globally.

Using case studies of designers Meiling Esau (Trinidad and Tobago) and Theodore Elyett (The Bahamas), the chapter illustrates how Caribbean identity, cultural heritage, and narrative branding drive commercial success. Concluding with an assessment of structural challenges, it advocates for strategic innovation to enhance the Caribbean’s competitive presence in the global fashion marketplace.

As a collective volume, the chapters consider implications for the wider industry and society, with ethical considerations woven throughout. As a result, you will find a much-needed, nuanced discussion of research and progress in fashion marketing that

distinguishes itself from classic marketing literature and is both academically rigorous and practical, applicable to real-life scenarios.

The authors of this handbook are leading experts and academics from around the world, carefully selected to each contribute a chapter and to foster a much-needed discourse that fills a gap in the literature. Each chapter carefully curates its content to offer experienced and novice readers an understanding of the background, existing literature, and applications, followed by new approaches, experiments, and perspectives. The handbook includes theoretical studies, experiences, reflections, case studies, and practical applications.

Brizan expressed his heartfelt gratitude, congratulations, and kudos to the editor, Olga Mitterfellner, for selecting him for this groundbreaking project. Mitterfellner was one of his lecturers at the University of Westminster, London, where he completed a one-year MA in Fashion Business Management in 2024.

“This book has set a precedent that will resonate throughout the annals of global fashion”, Brizan added. “I am proud to have represented Caribbean fashion and hope that my insight augurs well for its future.”

Click here to purchase the De Gruyter Handbook of Fashion Marketing.

An individual chapter overview can be found here on VitalSource under Table of Contents.

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