Yello Interviews: Fashion Designer Chantalle Agard, Founder of ‘Chantalle Designs’
by Karen Rollins Dec 5, 2022
Chantalle Agard, 20, conceptualised her own accessories line “Lookuh Look” during the COVID-19 pandemic while pursuing an Associate Degree in Fashion Design at Barbados Community College (BCC).
Taking inspiration from every day Barbadian symbols to create her 100% original hand drawn print, which Chantalle describes as “a love letter to Barbados”, her design transforms bandanas and reversible bucket hats into adverts for Bajan life and culture.
Yello spoke to Chantalle about her growing small business ‘Chantalle Designs‘, the challenges she faced getting started, and her plans to develop her ‘Barbadian-centric’ brand.
Please describe yourself using three words.
Charismatic. Introspective. Imaginative.
Please tell us a bit about your childhood.
I was born in Barbados. My family moved houses quite a bit, so I’ve lived in St Michael, Christ Church, St Philip, and St James.
My younger brother was my partner in crime! I will not lie, I was not always the best influence, and I would kind of get both of us into mischief. We were quite curious kids, loved to play at every opportunity we got, especially video games like Minecraft, we were really into that, especially at the weekend and during the summer.
When I was 12, we moved to Guyana for a couple of years, which was a great experience because I got to understand another culture. I remember being upset initially though, because at that young age you’ve just started to form friendship groups, so it was a shock for me, but at the same time it made me appreciate living in the moment and enjoying what you have.
I was really unwilling to join in and immerse myself in this new culture in the beginning, but eventually I did start to open up, and learned to adapt.
What were your interests as a child?
I was always interested in art. Art was my outlet of expression and a way for me to create my own world.
It started out with me just doodling and drawing whenever I had the opportunity on random pieces of paper, sometimes even in class.
I was also really interested in drawing clothes. I would sit around with my friends, and they would ask me to draw and create outfits for them. Art was my opportunity to draw the world as I saw it, and it was especially fun when people engaged with me about it because then I got a chance to show off my craft.
Eventually I started to get more interested in making my clothes into something physical and tangible.
I started off using fabric glue, gluing the seams together, which wasn’t sustainable. I used the glue in place of thread because I didn’t have a sewing machine. Then I slowly learned how to hand sew.
When I was in Guyana, I nagged my parents for a sewing machine. I think I got that when I was about 12 years old. I taught myself how to sew via the University of YouTube!
What prompted your love of fashion?
My mum and my aunts love to get all dressed up for an outing and I used to watch them get ready together. I remember studying them, and I liked the idea of being able to express yourself through clothing.
I also loved playing dress up, wearing my mum’s make-up and dressing like her. My parents have told me that from very young I wanted to dress myself even if what I chose didn’t necessarily match. It was fun and playful and an opportunity to explore my own fashion sense.
My aunts would also buy clothes for me and trying them on was like a whole production. One of my aunts was a nail technician, so I would have the entire look!
What happened when you came back to Barbados.
I came back to Barbados at 14 and finished secondary school, then I went to BCC to study for a Certificate in Fashion Design. After that I pursued the Associate Degree in Fashion Design.
I had learned a lot of practical skills on my own, but the BCC courses gave me a bit more theory and understanding of what I was doing.
So, you always knew you wanted a career in art and fashion?
I think for the most part, yes, I always knew in the back of my mind that a career in fine arts was where I saw my life going. But for a time, I just couldn’t visualise how, because when I was younger you didn’t hear a lot about fashion design as a career.
Initially I saw art as a hobby and was thinking more of the traditional, professional career path, so, I remember playing with the idea of being a doctor or a vet but then I found out how long you have to study, and I knew that wasn’t for me.
I also felt the need to connect with my work and that’s where art and fashion came in.
When I found the courses at BCC and started being around people who wanted to be in fashion, it built up my confidence, and I realised that I could make a living from it.
How / when did you launch your business ‘Chantalle Designs’?
I officially registered the business in February 2022 and launched in August this year, so it’s very new, but I started working on ‘Chantalle Designs’ about a year beforehand.
It really started when I was studying at BCC. We had the opportunity to create a portfolio line within certain guidelines, like it had to be 10 outfits and there were certain categories, but we had a lot of creative freedom. So, I put together a line that was colourful, fun, and playful.
At the time I was also playing around with abstract art, and I was drawn to lots of colours, especially yellow, because it was during COVID, and it was quite a gloomy time.
So, I started to put together some of my favourite symbols of Barbados, like the chattel house, ZRs, and other smaller details which are not so obvious, and that became the exclusive print for my accessories line called ‘LookUh Look’ (a Bajan phrase).
At the time my tutors were a bit worried that I wouldn’t get it printed because non-essential businesses, like fabric printers, were closed. But I pushed through and eventually my ‘Peek-A-Boo’ print came to life in January 2021.
That was a major step for me, and it helped me realise that Bajan-themed prints was an avenue I wanted to explore.
What’s the main inspiration behind your print?
I remember going out one day during COVID, seeing a fruit vendor, and being particularly drawn to all the brightly coloured fruit and vegetables. So, that has played a huge part because to me, Barbados is multi-coloured, and I didn’t want to just stick to the iconic and traditional blue, black, and yellow.
I was also inspired by an art piece I created when I was 11 years old which won a NIFCA silver award. That original ‘Peek-A-Boo’ piece was an abstract, watercolour painting blown with a straw, and then you used a pencil or pen to draw whatever you saw on the paper where the paint didn’t touch.
I pay homage to past Chantalle’s art in my hand drawn print, along with the element of seeing something different every time you look at my fabric.
What was the biggest challenge you faced starting your business? How did you overcome it?
I struggled with motivation, coming out of my comfort zone, and doing this whole process while I am still afraid, because I thought that to launch a business you needed to be totally confident. But I’ve realised that is absolutely false; you are constantly afraid, and I am learning to embrace that.
I did not complete the final assessment for my Associate Degree, even though I got the print done, but I think that was for the best now because I had a lot going on and was not prioritising my mental health at the time.
I really feel like I got all the information I needed from the course but not passing really shook my confidence. I was de-motivated and worried that I didn’t have what it takes to succeed as a fashion designer. It took me a while to embrace the fear and to accept that I did not finish the course but that was necessary to find what I needed within myself.
I understand now that fear is part of the process.
What are your plans for your business over the next 12-18 months?
I would like to have my products featured in retail stores across Barbados. I currently have a made-to-order system, but I want people to be able to interact with the product because I think people connect to it more once they see and touch it.
Piece of Barbados would be a great store to be in because they feature a lot of local businesses and have connections to tour companies. Any 100% Bajan store would fit with my brand.
I’d also like to feature in more trade shows and pop-ups because it’s good for brand exposure and interacting with people is a lot of fun.
What advice do you have for other Caribbean small business owners?
My mum, dad, and brother have been super supportive and loving and I remember my mum once telling me: “Do it scared” which really helped me to embrace the fear.
There will be fear, and you might even fail, but you have to push through because the learning process is empowering.
So, embrace all the feelings you are going through and don’t let fear cripple you.
What do you love about Barbados?
There are so many things!
I love the vibrancy of our culture; all the bright colours, the Bajan bus stop, the surfers, our community, and the connection that we have to each other and our history which is a beautiful thing. I love our beaches and how Bajans talk. You can’t get bored listening to us talk, it’s just so interesting.
Barbados just feels like home, and I like that there is always more to discover.
What is your philosophy / motto in life?
Allow yourself to feel. Feel the frustration, nervousness, discomfort, sadness, excitement, because when you do that, you connect more with yourself and others.
Feeling is human and bottling up emotions is not good and usually comes out in the worst way.
Giving myself space and time to feel and handle my emotions as a young adult has really been such a journey!
Please tell us something only a few people know about you.
I love to sing. Singing is another art form I briefly thought about pursuing but it’s mainly something I do for me.
Chantalle in French means ‘to sing’, ‘to sing along’ or ‘songbird’, which seems like fate, because I really love to sing!
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You can see more from ‘Chantalle Designs’ on Instagram.