A Slovak girl, a Jamaican dream: A fashion love story

People often ask me how a Slovak girl from Toronto ended up living in Jamaica for more than a decade. Yes. A man brought me there. I was 18 years old and while he may have introduced me to the island, it was Jamaica that stole my heart. What started as a vacation turned into years of returning to the island and falling in love with the culture long before I ever considered living there.

While studying Fashion Design at then Ryerson University, I chose to complete my work study placement in Jamaica, with the Pulse agency, under the guidance of the late Kingsley Cooper, whose influence helped shape the Jamaican fashion industry. At Pulse, I had the opportunity to work behind the scenes at Caribbean Fashion Week and the Caribbean Model Search, witnessing firsthand the talent and energy that made the Caribbean fashion scene so special.

Fashion has already opened some exciting doors for me. While still a student at Ryerson, I was selected to show my crochet swimwear collection at Toronto Fashion Week, an opportunity that gave me an early glimpse into the industry I dreamed of being part of. By the time I finished my fourth year, I had a choice to make: attend my university graduation or fly to Jamaica for Caribbean Fashion Week. My diploma arrived in the mail. Fresh out of university, I suddenly found myself with some of Jamaica’s top international models walking in my show, including Nadine Willis, the first black Gucci campaign model.

Soon after, Jeneil Williams appeared on the cover of She Caribbean magazine with a six-page editorial wearing my crochet swimwear. I truly felt embraced by the Jamaican fashion community. So came the decision that convinced my parents I had completely lost my mind. I moved to Jamaica. The plan was six months. Somehow, I stayed over twelve years. During my early days of moving to Jamaica, I managed a singer, helping create opportunities that took us from Jamaica to Slovakia, where she opened for Sean Paul and then appeared on Sting, one of Jamaica’s most iconic stage shows, but fashion kept calling me.

My real break came thanks to a dress. One of my closest friends at the time wore a floor-length dress I made for her to a polo match. The top was crochet, combined with jersey and hand appliqué flowers. At the event, Kerry Ann Clark spotted it and that moment changed everything. Kerry believed in me and my work and began carrying my designs in her boutique. Around the same time, Novia McDonald-Whyte and the Style Observer began featuring my work. Looking back, those women played an enormous role in helping me build a name for myself in Jamaica.

Over the years, I was fortunate to collaborate with incredible creatives and work on projects I never could have imagined when I first arrived on the island. From creating one of Jamaica’s first fashion films with Storm and Nile Saulter, which was featured internationally on Fashion Television, to creating the Anuna collection with Tami Chynn, for which we received a Jamaica Observer Style Award for Designer of the Year. I have had the unique privilege of watching two fashion communities evolve side by side. I witnessed the birth of Fashion Art Toronto and have returned many times throughout the years to show and proudly represent Jamaica on its runway. Seeing how both the Toronto and Caribbean fashion industries have transformed has given me a perspective that I truly treasure.

Today, I find myself back in Toronto, but my connection to Jamaica remains as strong as ever. That connection is what brings me to this column. Through this column I want to explore Caribbean designers, Toronto creatives, members of the diaspora, emerging talent, established brands, stylists, photographers, models, and the cultural influences connecting us all. If my journey has taught me anything, it is that fashion is never just about clothes. It’s about people, culture, creativity, community, and the unexpected paths that connect us, and trust me, I know a thing or two about unexpected paths.