Fifth Avenue shoppers approaching the luxurious Henri Bendel store were greeted by two-story-high marionettes with paper dreadlocks waving in the wind. Inside the store, high-end cosmetics were sold alongside samples of Vernon's Jerk Chicken, the latest creations by Todd Oldham and Anna Sui rubbed elbows with Carol Reid's hair braiding stand and Roger Pringle's traditional wood carvings.

Henri Bendel customers, mostly women with large spending accounts, were a little perplexed during their first encounter with Pamela Bruce, who was hand-rolling Jamaican cigars between Joan Vaas's and Isabelle Toledo's spring collections. But their initial bewilderment quickly gave way to contentment as they discovered the complimentary Rum punch, beef patties and plantain chips on the third floor. Pretty soon, ladies from the Upper East Side where swinging their hips ever so slightly to the sound of the live reggae bands scattered throughout the store.

And that was exactly what Fay Pickersgill, director of the Jamaican Tourist Board, had in mind. "We wanted to bring Jamaica to New York through our products," he said. "We wanted to target a certain segment of the market, the one that shops at stores like Henri Bendel, and attract them to what Jamaica has to offer." The idea behind bringing over a dozen Jamaican crafts-people, artists, cooks and designers to the Henri Bendel store for a week was to show that there is more to this Caribbean island than Bob Marley, sun, sand and sea. "I felt that many people here were surprised to see that we produce well crafted objects, not just straw hats and Bob Marley T-Shirts," says Inansi, a designer whose display includes mirrors with pineapple-shaped frames, raffia hoop earrings and embroidered cushion covers. "Jamaica is not just a tourist destination, it has a thriving culture and arts scene as well which should be recognized."

Garth Sanguinetti, a jewelry designer who concocts spectacular pieces by combining pieces of Jamaican glass, rocks and precious stones with silver, gold and copper has been basking in the appreciation of his work. "People just love it," he says. "In the end, if something is fashionable and innovative, it doesn't matter where its from."