Left: Grace 'Spice' Hamilton strikes a pose in a leopard-print dress and accessories match complemented by a red waist belt. Right: This printed gown worn by Spice is available at her store. - photos by Ian Allen/Photographer

Grace Hamilton, otherwise called Spice, is an entertainer known for her raunchy dancehall lyrics. But, what some people don't know is that outside of dancehall, she is a businesswoman.

Spice says her venture into the world of fashion is not far-fetched because she has always had an eye for fashion, even before she could afford to buy high-fashion pieces. "I recall times gone by when I could not afford certain types of clothes and I would just mix and match the ones I had and make it work," she says.

Spice, 25, spoke to Flair for the second instalment in our series of articles on women in the entertainment business who also operate fashion boutiques. She notes that even then, people were always fascinated by her choice of clothing and now that she can afford to buy fashionable pieces, their curiosity has heightened. As such, she decided to share her style and sense of fashion with others through her store.

Spicey Couture, the name of her clothing store that was opened in June, caters to both men and women. The store specialises in middle- and high-fashion brand-name clothing such as House of Dereon, Apple Bottom, Christian Audigier, Bebe and many more. Spice says that at the moment she does not carry local designers but she is hoping to do so in the future. Aside from brand-name pieces, she has her own designs in the store, along with her T-shirt line.

She says her store is unique because she only brings one piece in each style. If you go to the store and like something and it is not in your size then you are out of luck. She told Flair that her reason is because she hates to see more than one woman out wearing the same style. "So, if you are looking for a 'uniform', Spicey Couture is not the store for you."

Since the store opened, it has been doing well. However, she notes that many people are of the opinion that because she is a dancehall artiste she only carries that type of apparel. But, she has both classy and dancehall pieces and caters to people from all walks of life. People are amazed that they can get brand-name clothing so inexpensively.

For her, operating a store is not that challenging, nor does it add any pressure to her busy entertainment schedule. It is actually a nice fit because whenever she travels abroad to perform, she just takes the time to shop for her store, so she does not have to schedule special buying time.

For the future, Spice wants to have a few more stores across the island. She says already she has had an offer to sell her clothing online and to take her store to other malls across the island.

keisha.shakespeare@gleanerjm.com

Left: The girls are ready to hit the streets in trendy and sexy dresses all available at Spicey Couture, Mall Plaza, Constant Spring Road.

Left: Going to a concert or on an evening out? This black and white outfit is perfect for the occasion. Right: Yvonne 'Lena British' Reid is sizzling hot in this little number.