Costumes

Create fun, exciting representations of costumes showcasing the history cultural and heritage of the Cayman Islands.

Ms. Reba Dilbert was born in Grand Cayman on June 15th, 1954, and was raised in the district of West Bay alongside her six siblings. She has resided in George Town with her three children for the past twenty-two years. Ms. Dilbert also has one grandchild, with whom she enjoys making costumes and painting sea shells.

Having a jovial personality and an expressive point of view, as a small child Ms. Dilbert was often chastised for cutting up her sibling?s dolls and even her own hair. Needless to say, she still likes to hold the scissors in her hands.

During the annual Batabano Carnival and Pirates Week Festival, she is often the first point of contact on the island for costumes to be made or help in float design.

One of the primary participants of the annual Rotary Batabano Carnival parade, Ms. Dilbert designed for large ?mas? bands made up of children, teenagers and adults. Her designs have been admired as the most beautiful hand-crafted costumes paraded along the streets of George Town and she has received many accolades in these annual competitions.

She was nominated by the Cayman Islands Cultural Foundation in 1998 for her outstanding work in costume design and keeping the industry alive in the Cayman Islands.

Having acquainted herself with a lot of pageant-worthy young ladies, Ms. Dilbert found that she had been gently coerced to design for pageant wear and began facilitating pageants, modeling and etiquette workshops. Because of the demand, she founded a non-profit organization committee at her home for young ladies. In July 2002, Ms. Dilbert had her first supported pageant; her second pageant was held in November 2003.

She took her first contestant, Miss Dina Douglas, to Miss Bikini World held in Malta in 2002 in which she won Best National Costume.

That same year she accompanied Miss Naidelys Eden to Miss Tourism World held in Turkey, where she won Best National Costume.

Also in 2002, she was awarded the Longest Participant of Batabano as she has been designing and producing costumes for the past twenty years for theannual Batabano Carnival.

In 2003, Ms. Dilbert competed in Moscow, Russia where she won the Golden Apple Award and the title ?World?s Best International Fashion Designer? for her costumes.

Ms. Dilbert enjoys working with children, passing on her knowledge and skills and is most contented when designing and building costumes.

Ms. Dilbert has a strong civic commitment and a large network of friends, particularly young people whom she develops and mentors.

Her involvement and success in designing costumes, organizing groups, and arranging and decorating for Batabano and Pirates Week has become legendary.

Ms. Dilbert has also worked for the Cayman Islands Government for 17 years alongside her love of creating wearable designs. She is the only professional costume designer in the Cayman Islands and is revered for her individuality and creativity.