|
Welcome Guest 
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
Page 3 of 4
Desreen Waller Desreen Waller, the designer with the Caribbean flavor and not just any Caribbean island flavor but the Jamaican flavor.
Desreen grew up in the hills of Jamaica in a community of very religious hardworking families as is customary of most Jamaican communities. This community’s main revenue source was/is farming, in which almost every family member has a participating hand. Along with farming most of the women are dress makers; in the 1970s-1980s no one really bought clothes, the clothing was always hand made or machine sewn, oftentimes not exotic or even pretty but practical. The clothing served the purpose of outfitting one with a dress for church, the social highlight of most evenings and weekends and uniforms for school. Social clothes were mainly ones that were too worn for Sunday services.
Having been exposed to the community's go to career and having had the occasional exposure to sewing, dress making was a natural career consideration for Desreen. She left the country-sides of Jamaica to big city Kingston after graduating high school and attended Mac’s School of Fashion. She enjoyed the training she was receiving and could not decide whether or not she should move back to the countryside after completing her studies or leave the country altogether. One undeniable conclusion drawn was that fashion design/dress-making was certainly a career worth pursuing.
During this conundrum period, the opportunity to expand socially and economically presented itself and she migrated to The Bahamas. There she met a dashing English bloke and they fell madly in love. They migrated to London where with her new husband’s nudging she decided pursue a career in HIGH FASHION.
She had her heart set on attending London College of Fashion but instead got into West Them’s College of Fashion where she spent two years and then went on to finish her education at the prestigious London College of Fashion. Skill development at crafting wonderfully brilliant designs was paramount and is very much the cornerstone of her current status in the fashion world. There is a review of her 2004 collection that stated that Vivienne Westwood would have been proud of the collection. The likeness to Vivienne’s brilliance was apparent and that essence and likeness is still germane.
Desreen constantly surprises herself at the art she creates with her designs and is focused on staying true to her island roots and what is environmentally correct by using fabrics that are environmentally friendly but keeping full view of mainstream fashion trends. She is pulsed and connected to the market demands and has captured the essence of women all over the world. The Spring 2009 collection presented at 2009 Island of the World Fashion Week considered global markets and any woman from anywhere will find something appealing to her. The collection is a composition of elegance, chic urbanity; it is contemporary and wonderfully dauntless in color.
Mauva: What inspires a collection?
Desreen: The love and passion for fashion, the hunger and urge for something different...how I decide on a collection is through lots and lots of research from the early 40s through to right now as we speak. There is a kaleidoscope of information out there to get anyone going, I just can’t get enough!.
Mauva: Who is your favorite designer?
Desreen: Without a doubt John Galliano, I would love to work with him/for him, he doesn't even have to pay me. I would just enjoy being in his presence and watch fashion's mastermind work his magic. I am in awe of everything he does, he is creatively brilliant with gifts beyond my imagination.
Desreen is busy creating her new couture/pret-a-porter collections and I cannot wait to see what this talented designer has up her sleeves!
The items featured are available for purchase - contact mauva@starholdimages.com.
Mauva Gacitua |
.jpg)
|
|
|
|
|