IT IS NOT where you start but where you end up, say new business owners Tito Collymore and Melissa Waterman.
Tito and Melissa told EASY magazine that they are prepared to put in the time needed to develop their business and sew their way to success. They started their business venture only three weeks ago and wasted no time in transforming their working space into a little studio.
The duo does not have any background in garment making.
“We have no formal training,” said Melissa. “Everything we know is self-taught. I guess you can say that this talent passed through our bloodline. My great grandmother was somewhat of a seamstress but I didn’t spend that much time with her for me to say I learnt from her.”
“I am a hands-on person,” said Tito.
“From the time I was little I would always be fidgeting with something and when I left The Lodge School this continued.
“For a few years I did odd jobs like being a sales clerk at different retail stores and then I got into tiling. Although people don’t really consider tiling to be much of a career it is an intricate job. One bad tile can ruin an entire pattern so tiling taught me certain skills that I was able to apply to our business. Grouting takes time and it taught me to be patient, it taught me colour and pattern coordination and it taught me that materials have different characteristics, which makes learning what works well with them important.
“But I had a thing for fashion. As you get older you start to pay closer attention to style and you want to look nice especially when the ladies are looking; so one day I just gave the machine a try and to my surprise it was not as hard as I expected. It honestly came naturally and I feel this is my calling.”
Both Tito and Melissa spent most of their adult life St Philip – Merricks, to be exact – but they only knew of each other and never engaged in conversation other than to say “Hi”. However, the best friends were introduced to one another through family members and friends and things took off from there. They both found mutual ground and their friendship blossomed and now the duo has started a company – Gorgeous Garments.
“Over the past four years Tito and I have grown really close and it is good to know that he has my back. I enjoy working with him even when I have to be on him like ‘Tito, Tito, the time!”
Tito said: “We both had our own business when we met. Melissa’s was House of Lyn and mine Colly Tower but we decided to merge because we realised that we both had different qualities that made us stronger together. She likes to design for women while I like to focus on men. She is into colours and patterns; I am into that as well but compared to her I am the simple one. I like my simple to be different, for example I would place my pockets on garments in unconventional areas for them to stand out.
“We both cater to a variety of people, different body shapes and ages. I find that this gives us an advantage in the sense that we are not limited to a single aesthetic. Mature people tend to like sharp clean-cut outfits while younger people like their clothing to be loud and free, so it’s kind of like a millennial versus Generation X thing going on.”
Gorgeous Garments work with any type of fabric – from denim to upholstery, linen to neoprene, satin to jersey and they can make any accessory from ties to scarfs and hats to handkerchiefs. They also make underwear, swimwear, formal, semi-formal and casual outfits, blazers and African garments, which they said are usually popular in Black History month.
They both described working in the garment industry as rewarding and thanked their friends and family who helped them with business advice and personal counsel.
“Melissa’s family is extremely helpful and they go out their way to invest in us. They have even allowed us to use their garage as a studio, which gives us more room to manoeuvre,” Tito said.
“Eventually we would like the business to be an online store as that is more feasible for us,” Melissa added.
“I like the idea of mobility because it makes purchasing pieces easier and less time-consuming, although we usually make garments by order. We are looking forward to the Crop Over season because costumes are big for the festival.”
The partners are big on saving their profits and Tito said that he was able to buy an overlock machine with his savings. However, he uses his great grandmother’s straight stich sewing machine because it “looks cool and retro”.
Melissa was able to purchase a modern straight stitch and overlock machine. By the end of the year they would like to have saved enough capital to invest in an industrial machine.
