Mynka is a fashion designer from rural Jamaica who is really a free spirit at heart. She chants nam-myoho-renge-kyo and practices Nichirin Daishonin’s Buddhism to keep her grounded and attract her good fortune and needed support. She’s got many ventures under her belt and the drive to succeed at them all. I spoke to Mynka recently about her roots and her latest efforts:

The Beginning

I started designing at about ten, cutting up my jeans and other clothes and sewing sequins on everything I wore including my shoes. My aunt and my stepmother taught me to crochet around the same age but I really started designing seriously at around age 21. I actually moved to Kingston [Jamaica] to pursue a musical career and [while] hanging out at the studios people would always love my clothes. I started out as a personal shopper at first and then people started ordering hats and then I would make clothes. I really dont know when the transition happened, I just know that Buju Banton was one of the first people to start buying my hats and he said to me one day "you know everybody a go want dem hat ya now, you a go crochet ’til you hand dem bun you" and it has been like that ever since: me crocheting ’til my hands burn me, lol. I used to write for the Teenage Observer and one day they did a feature on me and as they say the rest is history. Shortly after that I was introduced to Dewight Peters [of Saint International fame] who put me on my first fashion show.

Challenges

Lack of raw materials like fashion yarns, buckles and other trimmings.

Alot of [Jamaicans] will spend a fortune on foreign name brands but try to negotiate my price.

There really isn’t a supportive body to help us designers. Other Caribbean countries, I know their government sends the designers to school, give them buildings to sell their stuff or sponsor them to travel and go to different fashion shows. Our government does nothing for us. I am not saying I need a hand out, but even the business development center , that claim they are there to develop businesses, will order things from you, bawl down [i.e. negotiate] your price to little and nothing and then still take a month to pay you after the goods are delivered. The hotels are the same.

I am on a fashion committee right now and I am pushing to change that and trying to work with the government to improve the situations. Everybody keeps telling me I need to be a politician. I am so about fighting for justice which is the meaning of my name.

Who and where:

I’ve worked with Buju Banton, Cecile, Truth Hurts, Roberta Flack, Gyptian, Deon Silvera, Audrey Reid, Pam Hall, Nadine Willis, Arturo Tapping, Faye Alibocus, D’angel

My pieces are available at the CFW boutique in the Pulse Complex, Shades of Africa and la Pluma Negra [all in Kgn, Jamaica] for now. I am building a boutque in Grange Hill [Westmoreland, Jamaica] and thats where my base will be. That hopefully will be opened before the end of the year.

So Mynka, what else is new?

I will be opening a restaurant as well, been writing recipes for that. It is going to be all vegetarian and [located at the] same place in Grange Hill. [I'm] also writing lots of songs and planning to go into the studio real soon to start some recording. I have a cosmetic line to be launched, just have to get the products approved now. These natural cosmetics will be homemade and free from chemicals of all kind. Most of the herbs used will be from my mother’s garden and there will be something for everyone [from] baby diaper creams to wrinkle removers to formulas for naturally enlarging or decreasing your breast size. I am also wrting several books, the first out will ofcourse be about fashion. It will have original crochet patterns from me and fashion tips. My next book will be a cook book with all my favourite vegan recipes and the other books will be on stories of my life portraying mostly my spiritual side and how I’ve used my practices to attain success. I’ve also started an organization called The Love for Life Foundation, which is focused on getting people, especially teenage girls, to love themselves for who they are and also to help pregnant teens financially. What I do is go into the girls homes, teach them how to crochet or whatever else I can teach them. I also counsel them and help them to educate themselves. My intention is to have other people come in and teach them other skills.

I have a show in Harlem [NY] on the 18th of [May], then there is Caribbean Fashion Week and then I was invited to take part in the Islands of the World Fashion Week in Bahamas in November, so I’ll be pretty busy. A boutique here in Harlem wants to carry my line so we are planning a party to launch here in the states. I also plan on opening a school as I have a few students that I am teaching designing to.

As you can see, Mynka is a pretty busy woman with a tun-load of titles attached to her name!  The challenges she faces have been echoed by so many of our local designers , I wish Mynka nothing but luck on her efforts to enlighten the government on the need for investment and aid in our booming fashion industry. Come out and see her new line at this year’s Caribbean Fashion Week and stay tuned to FOS for more designer profiles. The pictures are from Mynka’s showings at CFW 2007, more on her myspace page .

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