“Say it Loud,” Trefle’s BVI Fashion & Design Journey
Kristin Fraser is a designer, fashion show producer and innovator. Since she launched her flagship brand, Trefle Designs in 2008 she has created fashion and accessory lines that bring a Caribbean lilt to swimwear, resort wear and home accessories. Most recently, she has designed an iPhone case for Otterbox, the well-known producer of phone and tablet cases, adding pizzazz to an otherwise mundane object.
Destiny Child’s Michelle Williams at Kristin’s BVI Event
Now looking to go bigger, Kristin will be featuring her brand at a fashion extravaganza in Road Town on December 3rd. The event will showcase 60 Trefle designs ranging from costume, avant-garde, swimwear, resort wear, accessories and activewear. Her featured guest will be Michelle Williams, American singer, actress and former member of the pop group Destiny’s Child, who Kristin met at an event when in the US.
Fashion and sewing are in Kristin’s blood. Her family owns Clovers a fabric and sewing supply store in Road Town. Part of the island’s retail scene for decades, Clovers was opened at a time when clothing stores in the BVI were far and few between and sewing for the family was an essential skill. Kristin herself is a talented seamstress, a skill she learned from her mother and grandmother. “There is a lot of history here,” she says with pride.
Pursuing a career in fashion was a natural for Kristin who attended the International Academy of Design and Technology in Florida, and later worked with the fashion designer Caroline Herrera. But Tortola beckoned and she returned to the BVI to design and produce her own swimwear line, showing a flair for the sun-drenched colors of her Caribbean home. The swimwear fashion show she put on around the pool at Nanny Cay Marina was the highlight of many a BVI Spring Regatta.
To learn more about where Kristin’s career has taken her over the last 15 years, I sat down with her on the wide balcony at her Tortola home overlooking Nanny Cay marina, an offshore breeze keeping us cool.
Showcasing BVI Culture and Heritage
A self described “bad ass”, Kristin is energetic and flowing with creative juices. But it is her heritage, that has been her prime motivator.
“I knew that the brand had to be highlighted in various ways and one of the most important things that I could do was to showcase the journey through my eyes by way of an exhibition of culture, heritage, recycling, and design.”
The fashion show is the culmination of four events held throughout 2023. The first occurred in April at Government House.
This, she explained, is where she introduced her redesigned Trefle logo. (Trefle, the French word for clover, is a nod to her family’s business.) The idea was to reflect the themes of culture heritage and legacy. “I showcased costume wear, accessories, and recycled items and infused heritage and culture into the designs. For example, I took shag rugs and created some really cool dresses and bags.” She incorporated other innovative recycled materials, including hanging tags, to form a “shag” dress. “
Her second event was called “The Accessory.” Held at Long Bay Beach Resort in August, it Introduced people to a different experience of swim and resort wear, she explains. It also was the launching platform for her new collaboration with Otterbox whose splashy print iPhone covers are influenced by the bright colors of her Caribbean home.
Launching A BVI Activewear Line
The third event, tagged, “The Experience” launched her Activewear line, and was held at Frangipani, Amanda George’s dance studio at Chalwell. Activewear, which is having its moment, was worn by all in attendance.
The fourth event, The Runway is on December 3rd. “This,” explains Kristin, “ties everything together. It will be a 60-piece collection representing the BVI’s 60 islands, islets and cays. It is a tribute to my mentees and creatives who are coming up.”
Her mentees, as she refers to them, will show five pieces each and Kristin will feature 50 pieces including costume wear accessories, swimsuits, resort wear. There will also be an “out of the box avantgarde collection” which will reflect BVI heritage. In all there will be 60 models from the community. “It is going to be an interesting mix. It will be a very inclusive runway show indicative of a range of body types and professions including lawyers, doctors, engineers, photographers.” Music will be provided by local musicians and composers.
“I wanted a collection that is proud and loud. My concepts for the avantgarde collection really speak to me as a designer.” As Kristin likes to put it, “My work is all about telling a story, it is the really the finally phase to my storytelling. A tribute to my legacy and heritage of being from the British Virgin Islands.”
Consulting and organizing fashion events have become an important part of Kristin’s work. After Kristin saw me out, she then went back to organizing her Road Town show and to prepare for an imminent trip to Hong Kong. Half way across the world she was organizing another fashion event.
For more about Kristin and her products go to her website
You can find additional information on the people and culture of the BVI can be found
