“I TOOK BARBADIAN and crossed out the “RBA” and added a “Y” in the space to make Baydian,” said the designer in an interview with EASY magazine.
The 25-year-old former student of Harrison College has been residing in the United States since 2006 and has launched a textile line of scarves that are hand painted. Tamara Holder would be the first to say that where she is now in the fashion industry is not where she saw herself years ago, but she knew she would end up in the creative field.
“I had m
any ambitions but they all had to do with business, which then merged into fashion and art as I grew older. My mum allowed me to cultivate that artistic leaning. As I grew up, I began to express my creativity in different ways. I moved from colouring big pictures to dressing and styling my Barbie’s hair, and then from that to drawing numerous clothing designs to taking a keen interest in art, particularly textiles. Even though I was a bit unsure at times what my career path would be, I was convinced that I would be a successful creative person from a very young age.”
Tamara has a bachelor’s degree in business management with a concentration in international business, and also an MBA. She is now a full fledged designer, even launching a collection of her scarves last month in a fashion show having taking a leap of faith in quitting her nine to five.
“In the beginning of my journey, I chose to be an employee and simply create art on the side. However, after numerous clients encouraged me to make it into a business, I took a leap of faith and began to pursue my dream.”
That dream includes Instagram and YouTube tutorials on how to wear these exquisite scarves.
“I’m always on social media, in fact, I account most of my success to the exposure I’ve gained via various social media platforms, particularly Facebook and Instagram. I post brand photos daily on Instagram, every other day on Facebook with a few boosted posts periodically, and on YouTube, I publish at least one tutorial per month. The official Baydian blog is referred to as BayTribe Island where clients can review content about fashion trends, different cultures, places to visit and cool editorials.
The tutorials are a result of numerous requests from clients and my personal blog Baydian Girl readers who loved how I styled my scarves but didn’t know how I accomplished the looks. So I decided to start recording tutorials to share how I create these intriguing ways to tie scarfs into headwraps and even clothing so my audience could wear their scarves differently on the everyday runway and extend the life of the item they purchased.”
While things are looking up for the Baydian brand, it wasn’t all peaches and cream for Tamara who suffered from depression and even contemplated suicide. She said her art pulled her from the dark, dank depths.
“First and foremost, I have to say the major reason I overcame that season of my life is because of my faith as a Christian. Secondly, the therapy of art helped as well. In moments that I felt like I couldn’t express myself to anyone, I painted my emotions onto a piece of fabric. Ironically, it soothed the harrowing despair that one tends to feel during suicide and depression. Everything I painted was always so beautiful, which helped me to see and appreciate that in life.
“Then my parents, Ralph and Margaret Holder have been my rock. I don’t ever doubt how proud they are of me.”
Tamara’s apartment is her studio and she spends hours on the line of scarves, painting each scarf by hand, with an average one taking up to two and a half hours while even longer on an intricate piece: “Give me a piece of fabric, paint brushes and some paint plus some soca or calypso music and I’m in heaven,” she said laughing.
“I describe my pieces as wearable art, a.k.a handmade pieces that combine art and culture for the style-savvy. I am inspired by culture and colour. I’m intrigued by the way people think, live and dress plus I’m a huge advocate of colour. I couldn’t imagine life without the differences of each person on the globe or without the natural palettes of earth. To me that is art and creating wearable art is my ultimate goal.
“My fabrics are sourced from China . . . . I particularly like polyester, viscose and burlap. Now as far as colours, the brighter the better. However, I gravitate towards neon colours the most.”
Tamara designs each piece as if for herself and says: “As a designer, I follow the infamous rule of Isabel Marant – never design something you wouldn’t wear and as a businesswoman, I do consider what colour trends are in for the season. Overall, though, I strive for authenticity. I mean, after all, art is about breaking the rules even though you might know them?” she asked with a slight tilt of her head.
As in every business venture, there are highs and lows, and Tamara has seen quite a few.
“I’ll try not to give the popular answers. But in a nutshell, the rumors are true, being your own boss, especially when you’re working on your passion, is great. The hours don’t matter because you’re simply enjoying your pursuit of happiness and you can work from anywhere you want. Just being honest, owning a business is an adventure. There are processes and some stability involved but overall [like 80 per cent, she quotes in figures] of the time, you will encounter something different and learn something new every day.
“On the downside, there are a lot of sacrifices and it can get stressful and part of being your own boss is having unpredictable hours. Then, when you add unforeseen emergencies, you might have to opt out of activities with friends and family in order to solve a problem, meet a deadline, and so on. Unfortunately, it’s the nature of the beast.”
While Tamara reminisces on life growing up in Barbados and the try-to-get-home-annual-visits to eat sugar cane, tamarind balls and snow cones [“and cou-cou and flying fish my grandma used to make and oh my goodness I remember the pudding and souse plus my favorite, rum cake”], she is on a surreal high on how her life has changed since starting the company.
“As an artist I have no guarantee that a client will love what I’ve created. I’m completely vulnerable to critique because each art piece is essentially my way of telling a story. So essentially I’m honoured and humbled when I receive a compliment on a design or I see them in a magazine. I don’t take any moment or feature for granted.
“It has made me a bold young woman. I’m truly an introvert and I used to be very soft spoken. However, starting this adventure has helped me to find my voice. Now I speak up. Now I know who I am. Now I make no apologies for what I’ve been called to do. The faster you accept that and are proud of everything about you; you’ll begin to flourish. That includes mistakes but there are no regrets on this road, just lessons learned. Be your authentic self and watch your weirdness distinguish you from the masses.
“You’ve got to work hard and trust that every seed you’ve planted will bear fruit. Now I am happy with the journey I am on.”
