Cara’s crafty career . . . Mending Trends in the ‘swim of things’ 

Being a Fashion Designer was not on Cara Wiggins’ mind at all. Actually, Cara had no idea what career she wanted to pursue after she graduated secondary school. It was her mother Carolyn Greenidge, her biggest supporter, who saw something in her that she hadn’t yet seen in herself.

“Initially, I was not the one to choose fashion designing. It was my mother who made the decision for me since I had no idea what I was going to do when I finished school. She has this belief that a person should pursue his or her strengths rather than do something because it was the norm. 

“When I was in secondary school, she recognised I had a creative mind by the drawing I did at home. So she pushed me to follow that direction from secondary school stage through tertiary resulting in the present,” she told Today’s Fashion.

In 2014, Cara pursued the full-time Garment Technology Programme for two years, at the then Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic. In 2016, she registered for the one year, a part-time certificate in Fashion Design course at the Barbados Community College and concluded with the full-time, two-year Associate Degree Programme.

Cara remembers her time at both tertiary institutions as being fulfilling. However, she declared that she didn’t take the journey alone as she was surrounded by support.

“I want to say thanks to my tutor, Mrs Tessa Daniels for her patience, understanding and support throughout my time at BCC. It was not an easy road with the late and sleepless nights, the early mornings and juggling work with studies. 

“To my close friends, I say thank you for the support and encouragement they gave, especially in those times I felt like giving up. Last but not least, my mother, my strong tower. I am thankful for her guidance, constant positivity and daily motivation. If it is one person that believes in me, even when I do not believe in myself, it’s her. Thanks, mum!” she said.

The 21-year-old admits she had doubts, although she was already enrolled at SJPP. It was only in the second year that she knew for sure.

“My journey started at the Alleyne School when I did the subjects Arts and Craft and Clothing and Textiles. These gave me a basic knowledge of what I was committing myself to. When I first entered the Polytechnic, I must admit that I was not too sure that Garment Technology was for me. It was during the first year that I realised my interest and love had grown. Somehow, it was the second year and the Fashion Show that usually follows that inspired my interest in swimwear.”

She continued: “Everyone was gravitating towards the regular or what we called the norm (regular clothing) but I wanted to do something different for my Portfolio. This is where I made the decision to let my line be swimwear.” 

The designer said that she developed a love for creating swimwear and decided to stick with it. “It was challenging with a lot of hard work, but I made it and the positive comments received encouraged me more to continue. For the portfolio, the line was swimsuits and harnesses under the name “Caged”. The colour theme was army green, yellow and brown. My inspiration came from a trip to the Aerial Trek Zipline attraction.”

Today, Cara is the proud owner of Mending Trends, a business located in Rock Hall, St Thomas. “I wanted a unique name, a name that identifies with the service being offered and the direction of the changing times. At first it was ‘mend with the trends’ but with some more brainstorming and research I finally came up with ‘Mending Trends’.” 

The young entrepreneur said that when she started, frustration was a major problem, especially when something did not come out the way she expected it to. She admits she still struggles with that.

“For now, I specialise in swimsuits, kimonos, men’s shorts and revamps. I also do alterations on the side. In the future, I am looking forward to going into stretch-wear in general that is dresses, pants, suits, etc. As time goes by, I will continue to learn and grow because every day you are still in the process of expanding your knowledge. I will see my dream come to pass.”

Presently, Cara doesn’t want fashion designing to be a sole career. She wants another job which she envisions would help build her business. Eventually, though, she intends for it to be the only one. To date, in order to make her dream reality, she has invested in her business by purchasing two new sewing machines and she has also participated in Girlfriends Expo. Cara hopes to be able to design her own fabrics and have her own workspace and store in the very near future.

“Normally, when looking for new concepts or designs, I would sit at the table and brainstorm or go on the internet for inspiration. My clients’ happiness and satisfaction are very important to me. That’s why I always try to make them comfortable by providing recommendations and genuinely interacting with them. My current clientele ranges from age 21 to 27, but I welcome all ages.”

The drive not to work or answer to anyone else keeps Cara going. “I am motivated by my past jobs, seeing I do not want to work for other people for the rest of my life. I would rather be doing something I love. Professionally, seeing the look of satisfaction on the faces of clients inspires me to go on.”

Mending Trends has been growing through word-of-mouth recommendations and via Instagram. But most periods are manageable. Cara says it’s Crop Over that poses the biggest challenge. “I would say Crop Over season is my most peak period. I do not take on more work than I can handle because I do not want to drop my standard of work. If there is one thing I hate to see is untidy work.”

Cara relaxes by going to the beach, hanging out with friends and having a good laugh, or sometimes she remains at home with some food and the television.

The small business owner offered some advice to up-and-coming fashion designers. “We all have to start somewhere and it’s a learning process through trial and error. I always try to tell myself – slow progress is better than no progress, and even when you feel like giving up, DON’T! 

“Without mistakes, we would not know it was a mistake and would know what not to do the next time around. Last but not least, do not focus on others around you nor feel like you are in a competition with anyone. Just stick to your own stuff, keep trying to learn new things and give that all your energy,” Cara advised. (IMC)