Of the 44 female and 33 male contestants in SAINT International’s Fashion Face of the Caribbean 2025 on Saturday, August 16, at the AC Hotel Kingston, it was Jamaican Prestley Hart and Guyanese entrant Shauntaé Washington who went home with the top prizes.
“I feel really good. I wasn’t expecting it, and that moment felt really thrilling,” Hart told the Jamaica Observer.
Eighteen-year-old Hart quickly caught the eye of the audience and became a crowd-favourite, until the nail-biting announcement from the judges for the male section of the competition.
The Hillel Academy student acknowledged that he was he had only been training for a few months, and this was his first-ever competitive outing, as he had been encouraged by friends and family to enter modelling.
“I’m hoping it’s good things from here on out,” said Hart.
For Washington, it was fate, as she put it, tearfully accepting the victory announcement on stage.
The 25-year-old Guyanese bartender and part-time model was discovered when SAINT International CEO Deiwght Peters found himself with a delayed flight while travelling to the Caribbean nation’s capital of Georgetown.
“When I realised I had this extra day, I said to myself, you know, I couldn’t come this far and not do a search. In fact, based on what I’d seen, I think there should be very interesting faces in Guyana,” Peters explained.
The pull of the SAINT International brand proved powerful.
“Mr Peters came to Guyana. The only reason he had a casting call was because his flight was delayed. The only reason I was there was because my friend called. I had a family event that day. I left the family event, got there. I was told that I was [too] old for a model, but give it a shot. I gave it a shot. I got my passport two days before I travelled. I booked my flight the day before I travelled. I only got here Wednesday morning. Everything, to me, has been a matter of fate just lining it up,” said Washington.
With Peters’ advice, Washington transitioned to her current look, potentially aiding in her win.
“I have no words. This is more than just for me; this is for everybody back home,” Washington said.
In the Avant-Garde Designer of the Year award it was Janseen Graham who bested the other 13 entrants to win the title and $75,000.
“I feel very, very good about winning the competition,” Graham said.
Of note, he previously won in 2023. The motif of the night was 25, as SAINT International celebrated its silver anniversary, and his fashion piece
Saintly Evolve best reflected that to the judges.
“It has been 25 years of magic,” said Peters.
The modelling agency paid homage to that history with accolades from past partners and a showcase of its most recent crop of runway stars, the likes of Tami Williams and Kai Newman.
“We will continue to define boundaries. We will continue to project the brand globally in a very strategic and deliberate way,” said Peters when pressed about the future of SAINT International.
