The 2024 UWI graduation ceremonies will unveil a new collection of academic regalia (gowns), redesigned to help break from “colonial ties.”

According The UWI, the gowns have been significantly reworked for the first time in seven and a half decades.

It notes that since 1948, The UWI’s Principal Officers have worn gowns of dark colours, heavy fabrics and ornate trimmings that echoed a colonial past.

Now, the gowns would feature vibrant, eye-catching designs as a tribute to the region’s colours, textures, and culture.

Dr Rajeev Venugopal and Dara Jordan-Brown conceptualised and sketched the pattern and Jamaican fashion designer, Tonycia Jarrett designed the full suite.

They were manufactured here in the region by Donald Mirander from fabric more suitable to the tropical climate.