
KINGSTON 7 YAAD TAKES INSPIRATION FROM THE MUSIC-FILLED, CULTURE-RICH STREETS OF KINGSTON, JAMAICA, THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE UNIVERSAL-LOVED DANCE HALL SCENE.
resolute”; Each experience is a battle, we win some, we lose some. But the war continues, and we are confident that we will be victorious ~ JUNNY®
KINGSTON YAAD 7 (“YAAD”) captures the soul, strength, and sound of the rustic neighborhoods (or “yaad”) found throughout Jamaica’s parishes like its capital city of Kingston. “Inspiration is taken from the Jamaican music scene of the late 70s and 80s complete with all the rough edges,” says the brand’s designer JUNNY Hibbert. “The rhythm was formed in the ghettos; the lyrics derived from the streets. The Dancehall culture embodies the struggle and the resolution of the people. Their style is composed of their joy, just as much as their pain. They appreciate all they have because they made it out of what many thought held no value.”
JUNNY® crafted the YAAD capsule collection after a recent trip home to pause after a challenging year and reconnect with family. JUNNY®visited the National Gallery in Kingston to see the new exhibit Jamaica Jamaica. “As I walked through the exhibit, all the memories and feelings from being on the yaad came flooding back,” recalls JUNNY®. “I heard the music, I saw my people, the artists and their struggles, their joy, their pain, their pride.” The exhibit was curated by Sebastian Carayol to rave reviews in Paris – emphasizing the global impact of Dance Hall culture.
From the trip and all the emotions that came through from visiting the exhibit, Kingston 7 YAAD began to take shape. Kingston 7 YAAD developed into a visual representation of Dance Hall music: a genre that demands a freedom of acceptance and understanding – unconditionally. The collection showcases the struggles of a people, its burgeoning musicians and the sounds that pulse out of the concrete jungles. YAAD is a collective formed by the joy, the political oppression, the dreams, and hardships of a people expressed through their sounds and styles and the foundation of their pride.
In, 2021, JUNNY® debuted her first NYFW collection called MAMA which paid homage to her late mother who was a seamstress and gave a nod to all women who embody that nurturing spirit and a strong resilience which they pass on to their children. The collection was acknowledged by the press and the industry as one that authentically represented the culture, a heritage and a point of view based on generations of women for whom clothing was as much about style as it was sustainability.
The MAMA Collection received glowing reviews from the Fashion press including W Mag. who names JUNNY® as one of the top emerging talents for 2022. JUNNY® is now a finalist for Fashion Group’s International’s Rising Star 2022 Award in the Women’s Wear.
“Kingston 7 YAAD represents how the music of my people have always centered around reclamation as a response to oppression,” proclaims JUNNY®“The culture is adapted by many, but few understand the music. Mento, Revivalism and Kumina are a few of the sounds that were crafted from the streets. The music has always formed new cultural avenues for us and is the heart of our struggle. Big up yaad culture, Dance Hall music. Life rough and raw but the music keeps us going.”







About JUNNY®
JUNNY® discovered her passion for designing after getting downsized from her Sales Executive position at ESPN. Her collections are bold, creatively exuberant and size inclusive, drawing on the vibrancy of her Harlem and Jamaican cultural roots. Her collections have often been described as “wearable art.” Inspired by her mother who was a seamstress, JUNNY® has created her own clothing from an early age. JUNNY® also shines a spotlight on not only black designers, but makers and women entrepreneurs who have pivoted from corporate careers in their mid-40’s and beyond, to inspire those to take a leap of faith, follow their passion and unapologetically start something new.
Rastafari is an African-centric religion that developed in Jamaica in the 1930s. At the same time, Haile Selassie was enthroned as the king of Ethiopia.
The red stands for the blood of black martyrs shed around the world during their struggle for liberation, equal rights, and justice. Yellow represents the wealth of the homeland, Africa, particularly the gold. The green represents the beauty and the vegetation of the promise land, Ethiopia.
All images courtesy of JUNNY
Kingston 7 YAAD Video Director and Photography: Jeffrey Gamble
The Kingston 7 YAAD visual presentation is co-directed by Jeffrey Gamble Productions and executive produced by JUNNY®.