The Journey Thus Far.

Milano, September 2025 - Photogragh by Andrew Bannis.

In some ways, my life story is full of ups and downs, dramatic trials and sometimes uncertainty. Travelling here, flying there. Moving through airports. Unpacking and putting clothes away in new homes in different cities, different countries. New York City, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, so many differing locations.

Now, I have finally arrived at what clearly is some form of stability. This is my time to reflect, think and resolve any past issues. 

I remember being a teenager in London, flipping eagerly through Vogue magazine, given to me by a classmate. My passion for style was triggered by designs by Christian Lacroix, Yves Saint Laurent, Galliano, Giorgio Armani and Karl Lagerfeld. Glamorous images of Yasmin le Bon, Naomi Campbell amd Cindy Crawford. Reading Franca Sozzani’s first Italian Vogue September issue on the Central Line from Oxford Street. I was reborn, with a new focus which even my school recognised in some way.

Yet as a young person whose personal history was so far removed from the tents of the Louvre or the chic style of Milano…It really was a distant dream and voyage of the imagination.

Yet this was always my dream – and mission – to be in Milan, starting my own fashion design business in earnest.

My aim is not based on arrogance and I want to develop and interesting business that suits today’s world. Maybe it won’t be a global household name like Prada (who I respect greatly), but it focuses on the work. I don’t crave celebrity or need to be the biggest person in the room. This is about the work: the initial sketches, the fabric, the patterns, developing ideas and seeking inspiration. It is about working privately, diligently and in small ways to achieve the goals I set as a young person starting out.

I have been working on this label for decades – we even created the branding years ago. There has never been arrogance about that, only perseverance, love and personal integrity. 

Inspiration is all around us and starts at one’s own front door. I remember my mother’s father from Dominica, finding a Bill Gates book in the bedroom in London and saying profoundly: “The Road Ahead”?…..Indeed!