Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

Miss BVI wows Miss Universe pageant in a dress inspired by territory's national tree

Miss BVI wows Miss Universe pageant in a dress inspired by territory's national tree

Renowned Guyanese designer Randy Madray said piecing together the draw-dropping costume for Miss BVI Bria Smith to compete in the 2019 Miss Universe pageant took many days and multiple hands to create.

In an exclusive interview with BVI News on Sunday, the 26-year-old fashion designer said the ‘White Cedar Tree’ costume “was a lot of work”.

“I think the costume took a month-and-a-half to make. It was a lot of details with thousands of rhinestones. Even the flowers has rhinestones and sequins to make it all shimmer,” Madray said.

He continued: “It took a team of five persons to actually produce it. The body of the costume represents the tree, and the bottom represents the beauty of all the flowers in ombre from yellow to shades of pink to white. I think it is absolutely beautiful.”


Not the first BVI client

In the meantime, the young designer said Smith was not his first BVI client.

“I am very au fait with the white cedar tree and how it is part of the BVI for doing past pieces for clients in the BVI, and so I was very excited to make this happen. I have been designing for 10-plus years [and] it is not my first time doing Miss Universe,” stated Madray, who said he also designed the gown and national costume for the former Miss BVI, Erica Creque, when she participated in a previous Miss Universe pageant.


Miss BVI dress inspired by territory’s national tree

According to the Miss BVI Facebook page, the “two-in-one national costume” is the territory’s national tree, the White Cedar.

“The White Cedar or Tabebuia heterophylla is the native cedar on the British Virgin Islands. It is a small to medium-size, mostly deciduous tree with showy pink flowers. It grows on any soil type and will adapt to poor or degraded soils if moisture is available. Valued as a timber tree, it has been widely planted for both reforestation and ornamentation,” a statement from the aforementioned social media page said.

“However, the significance of the tree stems from the importance of its wood, which was used to make the stern, stern posts and frame of our famous Virgin Islands sloops. Used in the 19th century as the only means of transportation between the Virgin Islands, sloops were the backbone for BVI economy for over 100 years,” it added.


South Africa cops 2019 Miss Universe crown

Meanwhile, Zozibini Tunzi from South Africa has been crowned the 2019 Miss Universe.

The crowning took place inside the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia in the US on Sunday night.

Miss Puerto Rico Madison Anderson and Miss Mexico Sofia Aragon came in the second and third place, respectively.

Ninety women competed in this year’s pageant.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×