Q: What is your name?
A: Gillian Natalia Patrice Francis
Q: What is your occupation?
A: I like to say I’m a creative being; I
don’t like to be labeled because I do so many things apart from being a fashion
designer
Q: What/who inspired you to become a fashion
designer?
A: To be honest I didn’t want to become a
fashion designer per se, I wanted to do music and drama but because of a low
budget I always made my own clothes and people started liking it and because
the music wasn’t really happening right away I got into fashion and before I
knew it my friends started writing me up in the newspaper then I showcased on
Dweight Peters’ show and from there it just blew up.
A: I like to say that the things that I make
are timeless. I tend not to follow a fad too much but I like to make good
quality. Quality is very important to me.
Q: When are you most creative?
A: I’m just always creating I wish I could
just shut these voices up in my head.
But when I’m most creative is like right before I fall asleep, I have to
be jumping up and recording things on ma phone or writing things down its like
when I’m in that phase between dream state and being awake.
Q: If you could speak through your pieces
what would you say?
A: I am always dealing with love and
compassion. I just really wish that people would be more compassionate to each
other. I like to cater to women and I really wish my sisters were more
confident. A lot of our women are not into our morals anymore, lost our sense
of being, as the nurturers of humanity. I think that we need to start focusing
on being more moralistic everybody needs to have a better sense of right and
wrong. If people understood that what they give out they get back they tend to
make better causes.
Q: What is the toughest thing about the
fashion industry in Jamaica?
A: The fashion industry is tied in with
business. Business in Jamaica, for small people is very hard. I think the
government on both sides should be ashamed of themselves. Because its slavery
all over, we are slaves. The Indians and the Chinese can come here and send
back a ton of money to their country that was made off Jamaicans. These big
companies jus come and rip and rape and take away from the country and don’t
give back anything. The little that they give back is nothing it’s just a show
to get tax incentives. While us Jamaicans, we probably bring in a likke sample
and you haffi pay GCT and all these taxes. How can you survive as a
businessperson? It’s ridiculous all these red tapes, they are the problem. I
started exporting and when I look at it the government was earning 300% of my
things, so when you export you don’t make anything off it the customs is just
too much. If you are to charge it
back to the customer you don’t have a business because you have to charge less
so that the government can charge more so that you can make a profit so mi jus
nuh bodda. Its extortion, they extort small businesses and it’s the truth
whether its in the fashion industry or any other industry
Q: What is the most rewarding thing about
being a fashion designer?
A: You can be independent in a sense and
support yourself on a level. You don’t have to really answer to a boss and it
allows you to express your creativity. And sometimes when I get to represent
Jamaica that really feels good.
Q: Where can your items be found for sale?
A: Personal Sales. I don’t have them in any
boutiques yet that’s what I’m working on. I have my boutique coming up, that
should be open by next month for sure. And that’s in Grange Hill.
Q: What is your favorite quote?
A: As a woman thinketh so is she
Q: What characteristic about you do you
admire the most?
A: I’m crazy, I love my madness, I think I’m
mad and I love it. I love ma intuitive side that little mad voice any time I
don’t listen to it I lose and anytime I do I always win.
Q: Where do you see your fashion career ten
years from now?
A: I really want to be known internationally,
and have my stuff on the red carpet and in movies and TV shows and music shows.
I want everybody just know bout Minka like how every body know bout Gucci.
Q: What makes Minka, Minka?
A: Cause Minka is just Minka and there aint
no other Minka… they broke the mould when they made me honey!
KA Blogger
Stazii
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