Fashion Designer/Ambassador to Raise Profile of TVET

Melissa Moses, who has had a love affair with fashion designing since childhood, changed course to pursue architectural studies but was soon led back to her first love.

Today, she is a proud graduate of Garmex Academy, successful entrepreneur and was recently named the first HEART/NSTA Trust Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Ambassador.

The initiative aims to raise the profile of TVET and attract a cadre of individuals who will collaborate with HEART/NSTA to showcase its programmes and services and strengthen and advance its vision and mission.

The ambassadors will help prospective students to identify TVET, not just as an alternative to traditional academic subjects but as a viable career path.

Ms. Moses shares that everyone in her family loved fashion designing, but she was particularly inspired by an aunt who altered every piece of clothing she purchased.

“She would either cut off the sleeve or cut the pants and I was her little collector. I collected every piece of scrap, kept it in a shoe box and decided to make doll clothes to sell at school,” she tells JIS News in an interview.

She recalls that during high school she was considered a nerd, but her passion for fashion was still strong.

“I wanted to find a way to express myself as that young fashion designer, so every sports day, barbecue or fete, I made my own clothing by hand,” she notes.

Ms. Moses went on to the University of Technology (UTech) Jamaica, where she pursued architectural studies.

“I knew that wasn’t what I wanted to do. A family member of mine told me about Garmex HEART Academy and I enrolled. I did the courses in fashion and designing, it was successful and I came out as one of Garmex’s top student in 2014,” she says.

She started her brand, Melissa Moses Design, a decade ago, but the business was not registered until 2019.

In 2016, she placed first in the Jamaica Avante-Garde Designer of the Year competition and was also a contestant in Mission Catwalk, season six.

She has had the privilege of designing outfits for government ministers, television personalities and entertainers.

Ms. Moses points out that business slowed down during the COVID-19 pandemic, but she was determined to successfully pivot.

“I had to find a way to make an income, so that’s how I started specialising in bags,” she says.

Her bags are available for sale in various stores across Jamaica and Ms. Moses’ goal is for her brand to be recognised internationally.

Ms. Moses’ advice to young Jamaicans is: “If you’re a creative person and you love fashion, I would say consider HEART, because they will provide you with the right machinery, the right tools; they will mould you and direct you in the right path. If I can do it, so can you,” she says.