Imagine Caribbean: Ikesha Delpesche of Ikesha Art

Photo Credit: Errol John Photography and Design

I recently stumbled across some images on Facebook which perfectly articulated my vision of a Caribbean Fashion Aesthetic. The images captured the rustic charm that is synonymous with island life but they had a very cosmopolitan appeal. They were part of the promotional shoot for Ikesha Art's SS2014 Handbag collection. Ikesha Art is the brainchild of Vincentian designer Ikesha Delpesche who specialises in making one of a kind clutches, purses and handbags.  Between the vibrant colours, the intricate detailing of the work, her incorporation of African print fabrics and the styling of the photo shoot I was hard pressed to choose what I loved most her bags. I was so proud of this Vincentian designer’s use of her creative talent and imagination to create this awesome brand, I knew immediately that I had to feature her.

How did you get started in this business? 

I started out as a dressmaker and a  jewellery designer. However, because I always had a 9 to 5 job, I was pretty laid back with the dress making although I did sew for a few persons in between jobs. One day when I went to drop off an order of earrings for a customer, I had a sling bag made from fabric that I had bought from a street vendor. My customer knowing that I could sew, asked me to make a bag exactly like the one I was wearing. I went home and de-constructed the bag just to see how they put it together. I was able to draft a pattern and I made her a bag from floral upholstery fabric. In two days I put a price to it and delivered it and she was so amazed by the bag. From then on, I started making bags and advertising them on Facebook and from there I built my clientele. If you check my product page on Facebook I outline the services I offer; it includes dressmaking and as well as accessories. However, I focus on the bags because there is a market for it. There aren't very many Caribbean handbag designers and I want to make a name for the Caribbean on the international market.

Who or what inspires you?

 I am inspired by a lot of things in nature; the plants, the clouds, the moon, the stars, African prints & African art. I draw inspiration from whatever is around me.

How would you describe your personal style?

I love fashion and style. I would describe my style as very relaxed and laid back. I am drawn to long dresses, long skirts, head wraps and very colourful patterns. I wear a lot of Ailocious jewelry and local leather sandals.

 What is a typical day like for you?

I have two kids so I wake up and get them ready for school. In addition to the handbags I also offer dressmaking services so once the children leave I settle down to work on any  custom orders that I have. I might make a bag or try to create a new design or a new concept. After this I check blogs, websites, pinterest for inspiration. Between 3-4 I pick up my kids from school, when I return I finish the orders that I was working on. In the evening,  I hang out with my children then put them to bed. I am usually in bed very early, I need to get my sleep. 

What has been your biggest challenge with your business to date?

It's difficult to find a wide variety of leatherette and African print fabric in St Vincent to create my bags. Also, finding the hardware to embellish the bags such as the rivets etc, they can be very costly especially when they have to be cleared at customs. I want my bags to be affordable, I would like to make a profit but I don't want to have to pass on the high costs to my customers. To control my costs I try to recycle, customers can bring in their old bags that need fixing.  Funding for the business is another issue, not only for raw materials and equipment but  getting sponsorship to attend more trade shows outside of St Vincent in order to promote my bags has been difficult. 

What has been the most amazing moment ?

Well there are too many to count. My friend Ailene of Ailocious and and I joined up for a regional conference and exhibition put on by Youth Business SVG in September  2012 and were awarded most outstanding entrepreneurs. At the time I created retro themed jewelry with telephone wires and the response was very encouraging. More recently in December we went to Canaoun for an exhibition and the sales were great, the response was even better than on mainland St Vincent, I had a lot of enquiries and the bags sold out very quickly. 

How are you currently marketing your brand?

I use social media,I have a Facebook fan page for the brand and word of mouth helps, people who buy my bags tell their friends and I find that once customers buy a bag they tend to return. I recently started offering my services at Florangements, a boutique at #31 Central Market Shop in Kingstown. It's right there on the first floor and they carry my bags. I also promote my work at trade shows and exhibitions.

If you could pick one celebrity as the brand ambassador for your line who would it be and why?

To be honest I’m not very big on celebrities . The person who best embodies my brand is Jennlee Shallow a Vincentian currently living in New York. In fact she was the model for the photo shoot. She is a natural beauty, very down to earth, very unique very humble, very talented. She loves custom made pieces and she understands the dedication that goes into the art. She herself is a creative who is multitalented and versatile; she sings, she models, she acts.

What is next for the Ikesha Art brand?

I would love to work with genuine leather, there is no supply  for it locally, if I could source it overseas at an affordable price that would be great. I also want to improve my labelling, and packaging and I want to get a better sewing machine so that I can do neater stitching. I want my bags to look like authentic, high quality designer bags. I dream of owning a bag factory that rivals Prada.

What advice do you have for aspiring designers/creatives seeking to make a career in your field. 

I would advise them not to do it unless you have a passion for it, the ideas wont come and your business will not develop. Work hard and produce quality products that people will appreciate. Don’t be afraid to create and don’t be afraid to fail, don't be afraid of criticism either. Also, spend a lot of time on researching and developing your art.

To see more of Ikesha’s amazing work or to purchase her bags, follow Ikesha on:

Facebook : Ikesha Art

Pinterest: Ikesha Delpesche

See, the way my account is set up...

My friend posted this video on Facebook. It features 20 year old Brendah Wacuka from Kenya speaking about financial literacy and it sparked the idea for this blog post. In an era of rampant consumerism and guerilla marketing, it's very easy to get caught up in the acquisition of material things instead of saving and investing. I would be overstepping my bounds by telling people what to do with their hard earned money but I can't help but point out the disconnect in wealth between those who consume indiscriminately versus those who produce, the chasm between those who spend frivolously and those who invest.

I'm sure in every Caribbean society there's the story of the poor man or woman who started out selling in a handcart or at the side of the road somewhere . They started small and plugged the profits back into the business until they either amassed a veritable fortune or spearheaded a formidable business empire. More often than not these people are Indian or Syrian or Chinese. There's a running joke about Indians and their ability to get rich ... Indians, Syrians, Chinese, everyone but people of African descent.

Is it that those ethnicities have an inherent knack for multiplying their money? Do they have innate skills for managing finances? Do they have secret networks and support systems that prop up their businesses? Is it that they have a sense of kinship with their brethren and share the gains, the hard work and the profits? Is it that they know how to work collectively? Is it that they are better at exploiting opportunities or taking risks? Who knows?

It is not my intention to ignore the historical and economic realities that have fostered the success of certain groups. Slavery was a handicap for us but how long are we going to focus on that.  Why aren't more black people  in the Caribbean creating wealth?  Is it that they are selfish, lack discipline and vision and are particularly susceptible to "crab in a barrell" mentality? I reject these stereotypes. I suspect the differences  lie in cultural upbringing.

When I worked at a commercial bank in Barbados I could never convince the Indians to take a loan or credit card, they scoffed at the idea of consumer credit and vehemently eschewed the idea of incurring debt.Loans, hire purchase and credit cards while seemingly a gateway to your dreams, are trojan horses because they come bearing interest. Interest payments escalate very quickly and may (if you're lucky) have you repaying up to 2 and a half times the money you initially borrowed. Are you horrified yet? Imagine if you were able to retain even half of what you paid to service that debt. I suspect the Indians are onto this secret. The Syrians and Chinese have similar ethics. I'm not sure how they get the money to fund their enterprises but they tend to be very frugal and big on entrepreneurship. You seldom find them slaving away in someone's office, they own their businesses. There must be some correlation between this and their financial success.

Some people don't save, and those who do, often don't know how to balance their saving with investments. Most people put away money for a rainy day but do not actively work on multiplying that money. The topic of financial literacy is important to me so I won't let racial stereotypes skew my discourse any further. Whatever your race or class  financial  habits whether good or bad are learned, so there is hope for us all. Saving is important but we must go beyond this. When you work hard for your money its important to put your money to work for you too. It is easy to develop a misguided sense of entitlement and blow it all by saying "I work hard for this money so I should reward myself with (insert whatever material commodity is hot right now)". Wise financial decisions are necessary, depreciating assets not so much. 

Notwithstanding, saving may not be all that it's cracked up to be. If you deposit your money in a commercial bank in St Vincent they will pay you an interest rate of  approximately 2.91 - 3% on your deposit.The bank will then use the money you have deposited to fund loans, but the banks charge an interest rate of  approximately 9% on consumer loans . That, my friends,is called arbitrage and that is how banks put your deposits to work and make money.  I am not saying not to save, having a cushion of savings increases the options available to you. Do the math, you would be well advised to put your money to work in something that's lucrative for you and not just the banks.

Good or bad financial habits are learned and therefore can be unlearned. Practical, straightforward courses at the grassroots level, which teach people financial literacy and how to monetize their skills and talents would be welcome especially here in the Caribbean. These are practical life skills that should be widely taught, wealth management shouldn't be some mystical, elusive goal. The children of the education revolution are returning from university, they are educated, enlightened (I hope) and they have spending power. Significant developmental gains would ensue if they are taught how to leverage this. At the very least, it would take some of the mystery out of money management  and would help people who can't avoid loans and other forms of consumer credit to make informed financial decisions.

 In the wake of the CL Financial fiasco and other economic meltdowns I have a healthy scepticism of financial institutions. I'm not trying to fritter away my money or give an unscrupulous money manager the opportunity to exploit me however I can't just throw up arms and bury money under my bed. My eyes tend to glaze over at the thought of stocks/shares, bonds, portfolios and net worth, it can be so abstract! The process of demystifying investments seems complicated and a bit daunting but I am committed to understanding wealth management and finance. I am no financial whiz but I am now widening my focus and considering entrepreneurship as opposed to mutual funds and stocks and bonds as future options for investment. I'm in the middle of getting a Legal Education Certificate but I find myself increasingly drawn to entrepreneurship, if I could find a way to combine both that would be perfect. I would be lying if I said I had it all figured out but it's a work in progress. One of my ultimate aims is to navigate my way to that perfect space where savings, investment and sheer entrepreneurial tenacity make me fulfilled, wealthy and debt free. Formidable, I know, but still achievable.

Trees without roots.

"A people without knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots "

Marcus Garvey

Every year the various territories at the Hugh Wooding Law school host a cultural night where the culture and food of the territory is displayed for our colleagues and lecturers. It's a great opportunity to showcase your culture and earn bragging rights for hosting the best cultural night.  I fall into the OECS grouping so last November for OECS night my colleagues and I had to represent Vincentian culture. We wracked our brains trying to thinking of unique aspects of our Vincentian culture to display.

We considered folk singing but being small in numbers and some (like myself) a bit tone deaf that didn't work out. In any case, I discovered to my surprise that the folk songs I knew and thought were indigenous to St Vincent were in fact Jamaican. We didn't know how to do the Garifuna Punta Dance or any Garifuna drumming or anything remotely fascinating or amazing. We drew a lot of blanks and I had a sinking sense of dread  that our colleagues coming to view our presentation would surely have surmised that we were a culture-less, talentless bunch. At the last minute we managed to pull it off I performed a dialect poem/monologue, another colleague performed a song tribute to St Vincent and another colleague performed a poem. Not disastrous, but not by any means a satisfactory representation of Vincentian culture. I was blown away by the Barbadian and the Guyanese cultural presentations, granted they are larger in numbers and had more resources to draw on, but all the same I was envious of the portrayal of their culture and their obvious sense of national pride.

 Since then I have been obsessed with finding out more about the Vincentian culture and the ways it can be preserved  for future generations. I realise I don't know enough about Vincentian culture and I know even less about how to capture and depict it. I am making efforts to correct that and I'm hoping that this blog will eventually reflect this.

Culture is something you live and you learn, it's not static so it evolves and can be made and remade.The issue is that the pervasiveness of foreign media means that it is easier to assimilate foreign culture which can result in a form of cultural imperialism and the eventual erasure of the indigenous culture. Case in point: many West Indian children today know all about Diego and Dora, Peppa Pig and the host of other characters on Nickelodeon  but know nothing about Anansi or any of the interesting folklore or the indigenous aspects of our culture.  This is worrying. We have to do better than this. Failure to preserve our cultural legacies makes us like the proverbial trees without roots, easily toppled by winds of foreign cultural imperialism. We cannot continue to allow ourselves to be defined externally. Where is our original programming and cultural content? Where are our West Indian animators? Where is the West Indian children's literature? We aren't we creating educational content which is reflective of our history, our traditions and our culture.  We need to start telling our stories, it's the most basic way to articulate and preserve our cultural legacies.

I read voraciously as a child but apart from my school assigned reading books I can't remember reading any West Indian Children's literature and I certainly did not see any West Indian cartoons on television. I read about winters and fairies and goblins and a lot of foreign things that stimulated my imagination but they were things I did not identify with.  I think that's why for me there is nothing like delving into a well written West Indian book, it evokes a visceral feeling that is comforting in its familiarity and reassuring in its authenticity. You know intrinsically what the author is speaking about, you feel that the characters can easily be your family.

I believe representation matters. It is necessary for us to see our cultural reality reflected in the stories we read and the programs we watch, it anchors us and shapes our identities. I think children who are exposed to indigenous culture and content will inadvertently grow up to be adults with a strong sense of identity and a strong sense of national pride. This is not only important for their personal development but for the development of our countries.

Long live our cultural legacies!