BVI fashion designer “born to be a creative!”

By: Staff Writer

Jun 25, 2021

A British Virgin Islands (BVI) fashion designer takes her inspiration from scenic drives around her island as it “naturally flows,” because she was “born to be a creative.”

Kristin Frazer, lead creator at Trefle Inc, British Virgin Islands, has been in the fashion industry for 10 plus years and she “absolutely loves it.”

She told Caribbean Magazine Plus that: “Everyone in my family can sew and my love for Fashion, Sewing, Designing and the Arts were all attainable dreams from the age of 7. I was born to be a creative. “

Her inspiration for creating her dazzling designs can come from anywhere, a conversation with a fan or a family member, from her travels or from a scenic drive around Tortola. “I don’t limit my mind to where or what concepts I can do. My inspirations naturally flow and I embrace it every-time it hits,” she said.

Kristin also said: “I’m a proud daughter of BVI soil and I grew up on the western end of the main island in the British Virgin Islands called Tortola where the beach was a seven minute walk away and the sounds of the ocean was my spring board into fashion.

At the age of seven, she got her first “real” sewing machine and started creating magic for herself, family, friends and even additional products that would be sold in the summers out of my grandmother’s store called Clover’s.

She added: “Trèfle is french for “Clover” so my connection and ties to my heritage and the importance of honouring my grandmother’s legacy is why I am here today. My love for sewing always kept me grounded and my creativity and mind-set for wanting to learn more about the fashion industry only grew as I graduated the BVI High School(now called Elmore Stoutt High School).

“I mixed my other natural talents of singing in Choirs, playing the Clarinet and Alto Saxophone and performing in church plays with my love for Fashion and journeyed to Florida where I received my B.F.A in Fashion Design & Marketing.

“I interned with Carolina Herrera and BCBG Max Azria in the spring of 2006 and quickly realized that I was on a path towards owning and operating my very own Fashion brand which was implemented in August 2008. Over the course of the years, I’ve had highs and lows but I’ve stayed consistent with my message, product offerings and my story is still being written.

“From local, regional, and international write-ups in magazines such as Essence, Ebony, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar and celebrity endorsements from Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, Chrisette Michele and more, I am grateful that I can still inspire and be inspired.  I’m also a lover of travel and people, and I’ve been able to engage with and experience many cultures and diverse places that continue to fill me with new concepts and ideas that will lead me into 2022 and beyond.”

Ms Frazer also said: “My primary market is North America but I also ship and cater to clients in Africa, the United Kingdom, Hawaii and other parts of the world.

“One of the first things that I knew was key was how I would export my product. Since I’m from and live on a small island with less than 40,000 people, I had to strategize and build a repertoire of sorts to be able to export with fair rates for my clients abroad and thankfully, it’s been working out just fine. Exporting my product is one of the easiest parts of my business.”

Caribbean Magazine Plus first was alerted to Ms Frazer through a story about her posted on the Caribbean Export Development Agency’s website about the International Fashion Festival in Barbados, 2018. Ms Frazer also said: “Fashion shows are mandatory when trying to build your brand and business and since, 2013, I’ve been producing my own shows in the British Virgin Islands which have been successful every time in launching a collection.

“I have also attended trade shows in Orlando, Florida which are closed events to buyers for boutiques and stores that come from all over the world. In my opinion, those are the best ‘shows’ to do. I have also participated in a virtual fashion show with Caribbean Style & Culture in 2020 with other amazing Caribbean designers. That was a great experience as well and I intend to participate in more trade shows come 2022.”

COVID-19 has affected her production and her showcasing her skills and talent, where Kristin said: “It’s very interesting because my goal after attending the Surf Expo Trade Show in Orlando, Florida in January, 2020 was to fill the orders that I received and continue on in building the business with my ‘Activewear’ collection along with a few other surprises that will be rolling out in the latter part of this year, but as any other business and especially in fashion, my business got hit very hard with cancellations of orders and everything became at a standstill.”

Sounding upbeat despite the COVID-19 challenge, “I am diverse in my creative abilities and thus I had to pivot to other talents that I have in order to sustain the business during, 2020 and currently in 2021. From factory closures to delays in my new collection called ‘Black,’ the journey has a been a roller coaster ride but I’m still ‘on the ride’ so where there’s hope there’s faith and where there’s faith there’s work and I plan to keep working. My business will bounce back in the best way!”

Kristin’s entire collection is available via her website with International Shipping also available at https://www.trefledesigns.com/collections/whispers-of-summer

Customers can certainly expect her signature Swimwear designs, “but throughout the past 10 plus years that I’ve been in business, I’ve incorporated some of my labels under Trèfle, which is my Kids line(Trèfle284), my Home Collection(TrèfleHOME), my activewear collection(TrèfleACTIVE) and my consulting services(TrèfleConsulting) and my resortwear & accessories that are available under Trèfle,” said Ms Frazer.