Fashion Fridays: Tortola’s Trèfle Swimwear

Words by Tami Tsansai, Photos by Norman Allen, Donn Thompson and Anya Saran Schultheiss—

What comes to mind when you think of Tortola? Beautiful beaches, scenic mountains, even volcanoes… but fashion? Not so much. Of course we have our fashion feelers out across the region, so we were quite happy when designer/artist Kristin Frazer popped up on our radar. This humble, creative “daughter of the soil of Tortola, British Virgin Islands,” as she says, is a third-generation seamstress in a line of fashion-minded ladies. Since forming her company, Trèfle, she has since been quietly racking up cool points in the fashion industry. Let’s start at the beginning…

Kristin’s love for sewing grew stronger throughout her school days, but she also had a love for theater and the musical arts, so she prioritized that instead, and made fashion design a fun hobby. It was during her time earning an Associate degree in Arts at the local community college that she decided to pursue fashion fully. Two internships later — with Carolina Herrera and BCBG Max Azria, no less — she set about infusing her Virgin Islands sensibilities into beautiful, comfortable and timeless pieces.

Trèfle, which means clover in French, is a tribute to Kristin’ late grandmother Ruth Clover Anthony who taught her how to sew … the line is bold, fun, memorable and there is something for everyone, children included. We could continue to sing her praises, but of course it’s much more fun to introduce her directly. Click through to see her vibrant designs, and read on to learn more about Ms. Frazer and her plans to put the British Virgin Islands on the fashion map.

LargeUp: What is your favourite thing to design?

Kristin Frazer: Complex swimwear… I love to brainstorm on how I can design pieces that involve lots of draping and detail, which would lead to multiple patterns to construct.

LU: What inspires your work?

KF: I love to travel and experience new cultures, places and people, and that in itself gives me inspiration to design; but I must say that the root of my inspiration comes from my backyard, the Caribbean.

LU: Your website mentions a national, regional and international focus. Where in the region can we find your clothing? Are you looking at international markets just yet?

KF: My country is very small, with a little over 30,000 people. My brand was meant to be represented on an international platform since its inception and I did so by participating in regional and international fashion shows across the Caribbean and the US. My hard work has finally earned me the rights of mass producing my designs and in 2013, I was able to fully promote Trèfle to all markets possible in the Caribbean region. Presently, some of my designs can be found in boutiques on Scrub Island, Bitter End Yacht Club and Biras Creek Resort in the British Virgin Islands; in one boutique in Islamorada, Florida called Milk n Honey. I am looking at other boutiques in Florida and New York.

Click here to read on.

LU: Tell us about your designs for children, what made you take that direction and how has that line been received?

KF: I never thought that I would design for kids so soon. Until I had a dream in the latter part of 2013, where I designed four swimsuits for kids. The collection was very successful in the dream, and since then I decided to make it a reality by designing and making a six-piece collection for little girls. I am glad that I did. Kids are always fun to work with so I decided to call my kids line, Trèfle284. 284 is the area code of my country so it was important for me to tie the two together. I love my country and I merge it in any way that I can with Trèfle.

LU: What has been your biggest achievement as a designer so far?

KF: I launched my online boutique store that features swimwear and resort-wear for women and kids. The online store can be accessed three ways: Website: www.Trèfledesigns.com, Direct Page: shop.Trèfledesigns.com and also on Facebook.

LU: Do you design and sew your own clothing?

KF: During my college days in Tampa, Florida, I designed and made everything on my own but since I started the company in 2008, I brought a team on board to bring my designs to life.

Click here to read on.

LU: Tell us about your latest collection, and how it differs from its predecessor.

KF: I am a lover of color blocking and I always use it in some way, shape or form in my collections. This season, my collection is called Caribbean Escape. The aim was to focus on the working professional and other jet setters in need of a vacation, who want to escape to a place of tranquility, beauty and unlimited choices of rest. This place is my home in the British Virgin Islands. I chose colors that would complement the beauty of my country well and focused on prints that were independently strong, yet tied together as a collection by color. The drive behind this collection was to take each piece, color, print and ornament chosen to another level that showed growth and I think that I accomplished that. Every collection must be better than the last.

LU: Who is your design icon? Do you think your style is similar to anyone else’s?

KF: I do not have a design icon but influences that help to boost my own creativity as a designer and artist. These designers are Carolina Herrera, Gottex House Design Team, Robert Young from The Cloth in Trinidad and Tracey Reese.

LU: What is your goal for Trèfle designs in 2014 and your vision for the coming years?

KF: One of the main goals for Trèfle is to focus more on marketing the brand and the online store to gain more traffic to the site. As the years progress, I would love to have more boutiques and major retail stores carry the line as one of the best Caribbean swimwear brands to have.

Well there you have it, aren’t her designs lovely? Check out her online store and get your own Trèfle suit, or grab something for that special someone… we suspect the brand is going places. And click here to see more designs from the latest Trèfle collection.