How Cool Gear Revolutionized Beach Wear in Jamaica Before February 2002, no one cared what you wore at a beach party. In fact, I dare say many people didn’t know what to wear, perhaps because the choice was so limited. Since then, not only has Cool Gear re-defined what beach ware should look like and popularized it, the company led by Joe Issa who is believed to have the Midas Touch, has made it a fashion statement. Today, visitors at the hotels wear Cool Gear’s clothing not only because they are fashionable and trendy, but because wearing the branded wears, from bikinis and swimwear to casual wear and everything in between set them apart from everybody else. “If you’re not wearing the Cool Gear brand, you won’t get a second look,” one visitor remarked, while shopping for something to wear at a beach party. “That’s what happened to me; that’s why I’m here.” Cool Gear ware has come from being the coolest on the beach to the hottest Cool property where fun is abound in browsing and selecting from the temptingly priced island-themed merchandise and collectibles.
“You’ll have no trouble finding the perfect gift or souvenir for everyone on your list. You’ll find it all at Cool Gear—from fashion jewelry, bikinis, swimwear and tees to cover-ups, to casual wear and everything in between,” its website says. It adds, “The Cool Gear brand is, well, the coolest clothing brand in the Caribbean for men, women and children.” Cool Gear, which started in February of 2002 with a store at the Island Village Shops in Ocho Rios, became one of the hottest stores for tourists. “Today, you’ll find Cool Gear inside Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and at Island Village Plaza, where the Cool fun never ends,” the website informs, boasting, “Cool Gear can also be found at the Shoppes of Rosehall in Montego Bay.” It said that “as more hotels and resorts spring up around the country, so too does the opportunity to expand the Cool Gear line and its retail shops.”