13-year-old hailed as future of fashion - St Thomas teen impresses international designer

Femheka boss Raxann Chin says she is ready to nurture the magic inside young fashion enthusiast Tajalee Thomas, a 13-year-old St Thomas native whose passion for fashion has captivated the hearts of many. The up-and-coming designer has made an entire wardrobe for her dolls.

Chin, a Jamaica-born international fashion designer, said that Tajalee's dedication to the craft reminds her of herself at that age.

"Literally, tears in my eyes when I saw her," Chin told THE STAR as she met up with the teen in her home town of White Horses on Wednesday.

"When I was Tajalee's age I almost lost my life so I'm happy to be here, it's a miracle and it is with much gratitude that I am alive. But I say all of that to say that was the age where I had my burst of creative juices, and just to see her in her element at this moment, and just the parallels of the story just did something to me. I just had to be here before I left."

MEDICAL ISSUES

Chin said that she had a medical issue when she was a child, and that she was misdiagnosed with gastroenteritis when she was 10 years old. She said that the cause of her illness was acute appendicitis, and that she could have lost her life as a result of the misdiagnosis.

"I was being given the wrong medication and my mom had a dream that was very unsettling, and you know how moms are. She brought me to the emergency room and when I got there they said it was too late, and I was literally minutes to go into septic shock," Chin said.

Doctors performed an emergency surgery, which proved to be life-saving, and thereafter, Chin spent a month on the children's ward recuperating.

"That's where my love for children really started. I was around sick children, you know, babies dying and it does something you, at 10 being in that environment to sit and think about life and your aspiration and your goals," the fashion designer said.

Tajalee was featured in the Children's Own showcasing her pieces, many of which are made from old clothing. She also uses cardboard to make shoes for her dolls. Unlike Chin, her love for fashion was not fuelled by a near-death experience. However, both have an undying love for cutting and styling fabric, and transforming them into eye-catching works of art.

Chin, who watched the teen's video on YouTube, said she was blown away by not just her skills but her determination to leave her mark on the fashion industry.

"She wasn't complaining about what she needed, she was making due with what she had and I really think that that's admirable," said Chin, who on Wednesday gave Tajalee a small package to encourage her dreams.

Although shy at first, the teen lost all composure when she realised the package included a mini sewing machine. She threw her arms around Chin and resigned into a quiet sob.

SO PROUD

Tajalee's mother Orva Ball, who shed a few tears that day, told THE STAR she is overcome with gratitude and pride for her daughter.

"Wow! It is so exciting to me, and I'm so proud of her," said Ball, adding that her daughter has always wanted a sewing machine but she cold not afford to provide her with one.

The mother admitted being initially sceptical about Tajalee's determination to pursue fashion designing as a career. However, after recognising her talent, Ball began to encourage her; so long as she remains focused on her schoolwork.

"I feel so proud of her cause when I see her doing it, I was like what you doing Tajalee. Throw away the old clothes, dem don't look good in the house. She show my sister and she was like, 'No Orva, you cannot tell Tajalee fi throw away the material. Make she do what she doing'."

"I was telling her do what you need and focus on your schoolwork 'cause when you're a designer, you have to write down time, material, the size of the people dem and measure dem and stuff, and she say, 'Okay, Mommy, I will put in my stuff'."

Going forward, Chin said she will be a mentor to Tajalee, for as long as she in interested in having her.

"A part of this experience for me with Tajalee is about helping to hold her magic. Magic is something that you cannot literally define, it is very personal, so I think the relationship with Tajalee and I will have its organic growth. I am hoping to help her with basic things like learning the fashion jargon - something as simple as that - [and] how to source fabrics. When I come, whatever things that she needs for her tool kit, I'm happy to provide that for her. And as she grows older, providing that she still has the interest, I am happy to be here, I mean, I am seeing the future of fashion right here in Jamaica," Chin said.