Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

April from Siim's 'Lucky 13'. -Contributed photo

The world of Siim Designs is a vision of old school decadent couture with a tropical twist that easily moves from one occasion to the next. Young designer Michelle Simone Clarke (Siim) is the epitome of a unique talent destined to reach the top. With a degree in architecture, Siim has travelled across Asia, America, Canada, Australia and is back in her homeland, Jamaica.

With four stunning collections under her belt ('Butterflies and Hummingbirds', 'The Drums are Restless', 'Urban Decay' and 'Tropicana'), Siim has launched her 'Lucky 13', a unique promotional calendar featuring all new designs as well as her new Tropical Couture collection. Siim's clothing embodies the exotic charm and adventure of the Caribbean, distinguished by their construction and finish.

From a girlish love for dressing up dolls to being a young adult apt in both the arts and sciences, the doors of fashion were unfortunately not open to Clarke as a child. Studying architecture was a viable option for a youngster thirsting to learn. Earning a scholarship to the University of Toronto, Siim was able to learn many different creative skills that opened her mind to just about everything.

After returning to Jamaica, she found herself overqualified for the work field. After starting her own sketches, a friend urged her to enter Caribbean Fashionweek, which she did in 2004 with barely any time to perfect her art. Yet, her debut was a smash hit as people began to notice her designs.

Butterfly Collection>

Designs such as her butterfly collection, which was inspired by Jamaica's own swallowtail butterfly. She says, "I learnt that the Swallowtail butterfly was unique to Jamaica and going extinct. The idea struck me as really poetic. So I start with an image that is very strong to me. The butterfly image was philosophical, social and economic. For the 'Work' line I wanted something that is wearable for Caribbean women to work in yet with a flair."

The Lucky 13 collection, besides being inspired by the number, serves as a marketing strategy. The collection encompasses November 2006 to November 2007, which is 13 months, and when November 2007 approaches persons can wait for the next 13 months' calendar.

The calendar is something that persons can carry around with them or keep in their offices to keep the brand of Siim fresh in everyone's mind. "In Jamaica we don't have base of publicists who are willing to drum the clothes. We don't have that type of culture, so I have to generate envy and desire for my clothes by myself. I spent five years building a label and it hasn't been easy to develop an income and allow myself to design at the same time. It's a miracle. The calendar is a good way of generating that envy on a small scale," states Siim. Each month's design is different.

Siim never follows trends, so her designs are timeless and can be worn years later and still look good. This comes from her attention to detail, with each item being treated as a work of art. As such, right now House of Siim operates on a manageable level, not large-scale. According to Siim, her market is approximately 150,000 persons out of Jamaica's three million population, those who can buy a $10,000 shirt on a whim. The concept is that it is easier to cater for a small number that can afford quality items than for a mass market. She eventually plans to be more mainstream, but she claims that will take time, money and work.

Hard Road

The Jamaican fashion industry is a hard road, one that she has learnt well, being one of the few designers to have worked with both Pulse and Saint International. She claims that back in the '50s and '60s Jamaica had more fashion houses doing couture, but after a while competition from the mass market depleted resources.

"We lost the vibe for fashion and people in fashion were not trained for it. The fashion shows weren't really there either. It wasn't really fashion, it wasn't cutting edge. You had Pulse that really focused on models, then Saint came along and there was competition, which meant that everyone had to pull up their socks. Not to praise Saint, but their presence caused angst to create something new. The fashion market got a new burst, generated this sudden interest in the fashion world, fashion designers," she says.

Yet, the lack of funding and support is draining the talent pool. "Banks aren't gonna fund us; we're a bad risk. We have all the ideas in the world, but we're hustling, we're doing everything to make a buck. Most people designing now are very talented; they have no university education, yet they're amazing. Some people who have talent have no ability to move past that talent; it's heartbreaking to see that talent fizzling," Siim stated.

That's one of the reasons that Siim hopes to one day get involved with forming or teaching at a fashion school, so that persons will see designers as more than just glorified dressmakers.