FOR PATRICE DACOSTA, image is everything. In fact, she is so much into projecting the right image that since 2007 the New York-based professional has been operating an image consulting business – Stoosh Images.
“The majority of my business, almost 99 per cent, is based in the Caribbean,” Patrice said. “Companies are now realizing the importance of good image management because employees need to be on par with the international models.”
Focusing her life’s work in the Caribbean has been Patrice’s aim, and to be building a name for herself regionally is fulfilling a lifelong dream.
“For me this is a passion which has now become a ministry for me,” Patrice revealed. “A lot of healing takes place in what I do. How you look tells a lot about how you feel.”
Working with women in the Caribbean and getting them to improve their dress and way of life have become a mission for Patrice.
“Caribbean culture has allowed women to think that spending time on yourself is a bad thing,” she said. “It’s not okay to be dressed up and hurting inside, but so many women do that daily.
“I have worked with women who are 30 years old and look like 50. When I host my girlfriend parties and hear what some women are going through, it can be heartbreaking. Some are dealing with husbands or partners putting them down, which chips away at a person’s self-esteem and can affect how you are dressed and the way you carry yourself.”
For Patrice, how she carries herself is of paramount importance as well.
“I came up with the name “stoosh” for my business because it’s a Jamaican word that means elegant, sophisticated and stylish,” Patrice said. “So because of that I have to be stooshier. I am much more conscious of the way I dress because it sends a message in terms of the way I put myself together.”
Patrice’s approach to style for her clients is more holistic. Not only does she try to make them update their looks in terms of the pieces they choose, but she tries to get them to realize their own self-worth and value. She admits that at times it can be difficult, especially in terms of what a woman may be dealing with personally.
“Doing this has given me a more empathetic heart because what you see in some women has so many levels behind it,” she said.
Patrice has also taken a very firm approach with her married clients.
“I’ve had to show tough love to some of my married clients who have let themselves go in terms of how they dress and the image they exude,” she says. “Married women can become complacent but they need to realize that men are visual creatures, so how they look does matter.”
Patrice, who works in Jamaica, Barbados and some of the other islands, wants to work more with plus-size and tall women because they often have a difficult time finding clothes.
“This image consulting has made me love life more,” Patrice says, beaming: “I want to be the image consultant for the Caribbean.”
