Tears trickled down the face of Joy Meribe. All she could do was thank the Italian National Fashion Chamber for gifting her the opportunity to showcase her talents on the runway during Milan Fashion Week.  

Meribe debuted her runway collection for six days, which was a womenswear preview for Spring-Summer 2022. Her inaugural collection for the “We are Made in Italy” initiative last year became a success.  

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“Beyond whatever video, proclamation or manifesto that we make, the real test is whether clients buy your products. Joy passed that exam,” said Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean, who helped launch the initiative in the summer of 2020.  

Meribe’s collection featured tiered and ruffled skirts, jackets with built-in capes, off-shoulder dresses sweeping the ground, and hip, mini day-dresses and shoulder-baring tunic. The colors splashed bright yellow against an aqua blue, with tropical prints featuring thatched cottages against flourishing banana trees. Meribe said the design was meant to celebrate a return to more normality.  

“We have passed from a dark moment, and I wanted to create something full of hope and light, the joy of restarting,” Meribe said backstage.  

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