WHEN FELISHA HOLDER discovered who she was as an individual, she became the best version of herself. Felisha was born in a time when the Rasta movement was strong and believers were often ridiculed in society for their hair and lifestyle.
However, with her father’s guidance Felisha walked a spiritual journey which not only unveiled her calling but gave her purpose. She told Easy magazine her passion bloomed as she got closer to answering a difficult question, “Who am I?” And her business, iCreate, flourished as a result.
During a recent interview she explained how the refining of her talent happened concurrently with her religious journey.
“My mother was a seamstress and a tailor and I guess that is where my passion for fashion derives. She died when I was 11, but I adored being in her workshop picking up pieces of material and making outfits for my dollies.
“And understanding the essence of what my body as a temple is helped me to recognise that clothes are more than mere garments we put on our skin. His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I was considered as one of best dressed men in the world and received many accolades for it. So when I go on the street I emulate myself in the likeness of the King and Queen.”
Felisha’s spiritual journey began at age 14 when she got into rastafarianism in high school.
“I was always seeking knowledge and information and I think I was looking for something in particular but I didn’t know what. I was rebelling against the system and getting into trouble with boys; things that I knew I wasn’t supposed to do.
“But I became friends with two girls in third form and started reading text on the religion and we got really into it.”
The three schoolgirls tried to change their lifestyle. They ate new foods and kept reading more spiritual texts. Felisha said the influence of reggae music also made the transition easier.
“In 1997 a lot of songs by Sizzla Kalonji, Capleton and Anthony B were playing on the radio. So music was a major push to Rastafari and reasoning with my new friends and we came to understand what is self.
“We also used to go to the Bingi Tabernacle in Jacksons and we met other people our age who were into the same things as us.”
Another major support system that made the transition to Rastafari smooth was the counsel from her father. Felisha reminisced on the words of wisdom he gave her.
“I had a lot of positive people in my life who tried to show me the right way . . . . And my dad was one of them. When he realised I cut my hair in fourth form, he sat me down and asked, “What is going on here? Where are you going with this?”
“I said, “Dad I want to be a Rasta”. He told me okay and he asked me a series of questions to see where my mind really was.
“He was an academic and he told me that night, ‘If you are going to be a Rasta, you are going to be the best Rasta that you could possibly be.’”
Felisha, crying at this point, told EASY: “I really appreciated what my dad did for me and if he was alive today I know he would have been proud of me.
“He went on the Internet and printed articles for me to read and when I attended the University of the West Indies I realised the books he gave me to read were the same texts I needed to complete my degree in history with political science.
“You could imagine a girl in secondary school reading work by Franz Fanon, George Lamming and Walter Rodney?”
Felisha took her father’s advice and it shows in her work. She said each piece she creates for her collection exudes quality and to fall below that grain would be to disappoint him. She began crocheting garments at age 15.
“I always had a sense of thriftiness. When my father gave me money for the week, I made my own lunch, bought a bus ticket and bought wool with the remaining money that was left.
“I used to make hats. I crocheted things for people on the bus and new customers asked me to make things for them; so that is how I maintained my orders.”
After making hats and belts at school Felisha moved onto making booties and baby clothing. This gave her the confidence to make adult outfits.
“I started making skirts and dresses for myself and 15 years later they are still in good condition and I wear them to special events when I want to look different When people ask about the styling and I tell them how old the garments are, they are in shock.
“Most of my work is done by inspiration. I like to draw what I am thinking or sometimes I get inspiration from whatever is going on in my life at the moment.”
This inspiration drove her to enter the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) competition, in which she won a silver medal for an Independence themed clutch bag.
“My sister can crochet, even better than me, but she always encourages me to enter shows and competitions. She told me it would be a good idea to show off my work at NIFCA and I did when we as a nation celebrated our 50th anniversary.”
Felisha won a silver medal for a beautifully crafted clutch bag and bronze for an exquisite dress. The theme of both pieces was yellow and ultra-marine. However, she said it was bit of a rush since she handed in her application on the final day of submission because she was preparing for a fashion show.
Making items for both events proved how fast she could manipulate knitting yarn and pushed her creativity. But Felisha admitted that her sister played a great role in the end result of her pieces as she sang the praises of her sister’s finishes.
“I did not want to do any normal style for NIFCA and I researched Irish crochet styles. The Irish crochet each individual trimming and attach it to the garment.
“And that is exactly what I did; I made different appliques and placed them at the back of the dress and across the bust and my sister stitched on the lining to give it a clean finish.
“Now designing for the Recreate Fashion Show was a bit different. The people in the show had to use old clothes and recreate new designs out of the garments and it so happened that I did a new crochet style I never did before. I crochet broomstick lace which is a wider lace. You use the crochet needle in addition to a stick, ruler or broomstick to spread out the stitches.”
Felisha said her crochet designs embodied her spirituality. She explained that it is a way for her to cope with the passing of her son Abijah Holder-Phillips. Through her journey to find herself, she was able to think of death not in a finite way but as a transition to a better place. Abijah was only eleven years old when he passed.
When she is not crocheting garments for customers and family members she is in the kitchen making home-styled delicious meals and is known for her warm, freshly baked unleavened bread. There is a secret she uses to get the texture and consistency but she did not wish to reveal her ancient technique.