The Jamaican garment industry between 1960 and 1985 was a dynamic sector, crucial to the island's post-independence industrialisation efforts. During this period, Jamaica's small domestic market evolved into a major export player, a trajectory heavily shaped by government policy, preferential access to international markets, and, by the end of the period, the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI). However, it is important to note that economic relationships with North American companies existed long before the 1983 agreement was introduced.

​

To facilitate this industrial development, the Jamaican government established a number of public agencies, among which the Jamaica Industrial Development Corporation (JIDC) was key in stimulating economic growth on the island. The JIDC was instrumental not only in establishing new industries but also in showcasing Jamaican-made products on a global stage. For several years, the JIDC actively negotiated opportunities for the expansion of Jamaica's fashion and textile industry, detailing its achievements in regular newsletters. This work was underpinned by proactive legislation, most notably the Textile Industry (Encouragement) Law 1947 and Pioneer Industries (Encouragement) Law, first introduced in 1949, which granted industries established on the island significant benefits, such as income tax concessions and relief from import duties on raw materials and machinery.

​

Much of this development was driven by private North American finance, with companies establishing manufacturing facilities on the island to reduce costs. This trend was evident even before Independence; in May 1962, the JIDC recorded 20 textile converting companies operating in Jamaica, 19 of which were subsidiaries of United States corporations. These companies sought offshore manufacturing bases in the Caribbean to remain competitive. Consequently, companies in Jamaica were producing goods under a variety of names: Colonial Shirts, Chelsea Lingerie (Jamaica) Ltd, Minnesota Export Co Ltd and Farél of New York, New Yorker Shirt Ltd and Waterman Leather Products Limited.

 

The Shirt

​

I recently purchased this shirt from a vintage online seller, which serves as tangible evidence of this specific industrial and economic relationship. The garment’s label provides the first set of clues stating “100% cotton chambray, Single Needle Tailoring, Made in Jamaica". The reference to ‘single-needle tailoring’ is a deliberate marker of quality. It describes a sewing technique where a single needle and thread create a lockstitch, resulting in a strong and clean seam. This method, often found in high-quality garments, produces a discreet finish with only one visible row of stitches on the exterior, signalling a product intended to be both durable and refined.

​

“John Ashford Sport, established in 1980” was a trademark used by Macy's Merchandising Group, Inc. for a range of men's clothing and accessories, including jackets, coats, topcoats, trousers, shirts, and sweaters. Macy's Merchandising Group, Inc. is a New York-based company operating within the Department Stores industry. Macy's, New York-based department store, already had a connection with the designers of the Jamaica Fashion Guild Ltd. The production of a Macy's own-label brand in Jamaica was, therefore, perhaps a logical extension of this past relationship.

​

Beyond its construction and provenance, the shirt's is an excellent example of a ‘novelty shirt’. A classic long-sleeved, button-down style with a standard collar, but its defining feature is the all-over print that mimics a collage of vintage travel postcards. The theme is clearly rooted in the golden age of American road trips and grand hotel stays, evoking a powerful sense of nostalgia and exploration for a specifically American audience, highlighting identifiable locations such as Hotel Converse, Niagara Falls, N.Y and Hotel Westward Ho, Phoenix. This design choice speaks directly to the identity and cultural memory of the US consumer for whom the shirt was ultimately intended.

​

What is particularly interesting is that the shirt’s printed design is typical of the resort shirts worn in Jamaica since the early 20th century. This style became an integral part of the island's sartorial language, especially for menswear, and was often adopted by Jamaican companies and designers to articulate a distinct sense of ‘Jamaica’ and ‘Jamaicanness’, through vibrant local motifs and iconography. This raises an intriguing possibility regarding the shirt's conceptual origins. Who designed this print? Were they inspired by this very tradition? Did they simply adopt the proven format of the Jamaican vacation shirt, replacing its motifs with domestic iconography? Are shirts like this, therefore, indebted to the Jamaican resort wear tradition that was so popular with North American tourists to the island? If so, does this shirt represent a Jamaican design archetype that provided the inspiration for a product aimed at the US mass market?

​

This 'John Ashford Sport' shirt serves as a powerful material object, encapsulating a pivotal moment in the history of globalisation. On one level, it is a direct product of Jamaica's ambitious post-independence economic policies—a tangible result of the efforts of the Jamaica Industrial Development Corporation (JIDC), now the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO). These efforts, underpinned by proactive legislation, made Jamaica an attractive place for garment manufacturing. Its 'Made in Jamaica' label and quality construction testify to the island's successful integration into global supply chains. On another level, however, the shirt reveals a more nuanced cultural dynamic. Its use of a classic resort wear style, a form popularised in Jamaica in the early 20th century, as a canvas for a purely American narrative of nostalgic travel, highlights the complex and often unequal flows of creative inspiration. The garment is therefore a manifestation of the complex global intersections of late 20th-century trade, embodying a process where Jamaican craftsmanship provided the foundation for a product whose cultural narrative was constructed for a foreign market.