Two designers, one mission
Published:Monday | June 6, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Sacha Walters-Gregory, Staff Reporter
Two stories, two personalities, one thing in common - fashion.
The two finalists in Mission Catwalk, the local television competition geared towards identifying an outstanding local fashion designer, are vying for the top spot.
The show airs on Tuesday nights on Television Jamaica. The 20-somethings Ayanna Dixon and Shenna Carby are both all about winning the competition. You can vote for your favourite designer, and by Tuesday you'll find out the queen seamstress.
Ayanna Dixon
As a teenager, Dixon was sketching designs for her friends to wear to parties and balls. The first outfit she made came out of necessity. She sewed a skirt by hand because her father refused to buy her something new to wear to an event.
"After that, I sewed one for my friend, but I warned her to wear it with caution," she said, laughing, as she wasn't sure it wouldn't fall off.
The 25-year-old has come a long way since then. She enrolled in a fashion-design course at Edna Manley School of the Visual and Performing Arts for recreation and realised she wanted to take her passion further. She went on to get an associate's degree in fashion from The Art Institute of New York City. She did a number of internships with design houses, which includes Donna Karan.
But you could also say creativity runs in her blood, with her mother being a textile designer and her father an architect, her interest is fashion is not far-fetched.
"I've always been interested," she said, whether it's behind the scenes helping to execute fashion events or as a model.
Dixon, who has her own design line called ASD, said she hopes to build on the pieces she showed at Miami Fashion Week and grow her line even further.
For Dixon, one of the greatest challenges is sourcing unique and high-quality fabric in Jamaica. She admitted that it really boils down to a matter of cost.
Shenna Carby
Given the opportunity to explore unconventional skills and an unconventional path to fashion, Shenna Carby learnt that creating her own designs was to be her passion. The 26-year-old said that, as a result of a number of odd jobs and interests, she developed many of the skills she uses in her designing.
But rewind and she says that the push to learn to sew came after she realised that in an attempt to create unique looks for herself, she would sketch designs and take to her seamstress, and a problem developed.
"I realised the price just kept on getting higher and higher," so the vivacious woman decided to learn how to sew. Hence, she completed a one-year course at the Garmex Heart Academy. Along the way, she learnt crochet and dabbled in making jewellery.
She utilised the skills she developed helping to finish bags etc, at the leather apparel company Leader Mode.
Carby, who also offers personalised designs under her company name Sheyone's Eclipse, said the opportunity, provided through Mission Catwalk, to showcase some of her pieces at Miami Fashion Week was one of her biggest dreams.
She hopes to one day have her own line, store and establish a factory which allows people to learn how to sew and also provide employment for these skilled workers.
One of the greatest challenges in the fashion business locally is Jamaicans accepting local designers as much as international designers. "We don't accept our local designers," Carby said.