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THE GLEANER’S FLAIR MAGAZINE • MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2018
Nashauna Lalah
Lifestyle Editor
K
ERRY-ANN CLARKE is passionate about what
she does. The founder of the lifestyle store
Kerrymanwomanhome, and managing director of
The Collection MoDA told
Flair
, “When you have a
passion, you just know it. There’s
no guessing. It’s something in your
‘gut’ that you feel. I’ve felt it ever
since I can remember, and
creativity in every shape and form
still excites and resonates with me
today.”
That passion led her, six years
ago, to create what is without a
doubt the premier fashion event on
the island – The Collection
MoDA.
“The Collection MoDA has
been a great journey thus far and I
am quite pleased with the growth
from year to year. The vision for
the MoDA platform is for it to
become the leading trade-show
platform for creative Caribbean
talent. We are looking to partner
with business professionals to guide
MoDA creatives on taking their
business to the next level, so that
they can focus on the design
elements of their craft and be able
to fulfil wholesale orders from not only stores in the
Caribbean, but also be equipped with the knowledge and
tools to start exporting to additional markets.”
MODA MARKET
All this is achievable through MoDa Market. “My
dream is to welcome international chain store buyers
that already are supporting artisanal work to the MoDA
series of events, and for them to shop Caribbean talent at
MoDA Market. There is still a tremendous amount of
work to be done. I think, realistically,
we need another five
years to get
anywhere near what we envision for the series
of events.”
The Collectiom MoDA is invitation only – a
deliberate move that demonstrates Clarke’s
seriousness about the event.
“Fashion is a multimillion-dollar industry. I want to
promote the seriousness of the
industry and not have a show for the
entertainment value only, but rather
invite persons who are genuinely
interested in seeing growth for our
designers. The looks from the runway
are available to the customer after
the show and MoDA Market
serves the purpose of designer –
customer interaction and also
wholesale buyer-designer
interaction.”
SERIOUS BUSINESS
It is a serious thing.
After all, fashion is not
just superficial. “It’s a
form of expression and I
admire people who
stand out. It’s the first
thing that people see
before you have a
chance to say a single
word. It’s unspoken
language. How can it be
superficial?”
And the Mandeville native should know.
Having studied at the Parson’s School of
Design and interned at the renowned
Vogue Paris, she knows what she’s talking
about. She has been on the grind for a long
time, made mistakes and learnt from them.
“I think the biggest mistake for me was
trying to do everything by myself and not
feeling like I could trust someone with a
responsibility. Needless to say, I became
overwhelmed and stressed, so I have learnt
to delegate responsibilities.”
Kerry-Ann Clarke
The MoDa goddess
D
istinguished
THE
Fashion